Saving William
by andreakayy
Summary: William is haunted by dreams of the truth. After a class project this goes to the FBI. William gets taken away from his abusive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, & protect their son from the danger that is sure to come. MSR R
1. Chapter 1

**I have no idea how I cane up with this story, but hey here it is.  
Thanks to Teliko. x3 for Beta-ing! & for Mulder's ringtone for Skinner! haha.**

Please, R&R.

Summary:  
William is haunted by terrible dreams that reveal too much about the truth. (Super Soldiers/Black Oil/Alien Invasion). But what happens when after a class project on imagination this goes to the FBI? William gets taken away from his abusive adoptive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, and protect their son from the danger that is sure to come.

Chapter 1: The Project

Patterson Residence  
Auburn, Wyoming  
November 8th, 2007  
6:23 PM

"Will, you go on upstairs and do your homework." A tall bald man said firmly as he took his plate from the kitchen table to the sink.

William, with brown hair and blue eyes, slowly slid his chair back to get from out of it and leave the table. The small child of only six left his plate and glass at the table.

"Damnit Will, what did I tell you about leaving your dishes at the table? You're not at a restaurant. We clean up our messes at home!" A woman, with short brown hair, next to the man, yelled at the boy, her hands on her hips, expression angry.

"I'm... sorry Mommy." William turned around, tears in the corners of his eyes.

"No, Will. You said you were sorry the last times you did that. If you were really sorry you wouldn't do it again." The boy's bottom lip quivered at his mother's words.

"Anna," the man said to the woman, who was presumably his wife. "Look at the child; he looks terrified."

"I don't care, Tom. He should know by now."

"For goodness sakes, he's six years old!"

"Why do you always do this? You pick his side!"

"I pick his side? Anna, we're not in middle school! I don't pick sides. I just think you're wrong."

"I'm wrong? I'm wrong about how to raise my son?"

"He's our son. You wanted a child so bad and yet you yell at him constantly."

"You're saying I'm a bad mother."

"I didn't say that."

"The fuck you didn't!" William, who was staring at his parents fight for some time now, busted out into tears. "Be quiet and go to your room, Will!"

William ran upstairs and grabbed his stuffed alien that he had for as long as he could remember.

"Homework," he said to himself, walking to his back pack by his desk.

He pulled out a piece of paper he had in his folder. It said,

_Creative-Science Project  
Dear Parents,  
For the past few weeks your child has been learning about what the word fiction means. For our new science project we are going to be creating a fictitious story. This story is based souly on the student's imagination. It can include anything science related such as, anything space related or anything relating to the future. The requirements are: a two page story, a journal saying what you worked on that day, a paragraph saying how you thought of your idea, a diorama, and three other visual aids. Your child will have two days to work on this in school, but the rest is to be done at home.  
Thank you,  
Mrs. Lea_

William didn't have to read the paper to know what to do. In school his teacher, Mrs. Lea, had talked about the assignment. He had to use his imagination. William had vivid dreams, and he knew what he was to do. In his dreams he saw a short, blue eyed, red headed lady, who was his mother, and a tall and lanky man with brown hair and green eyes his father. Those people never told him that they were his parents, but it was just a feeling he had.

His dreams were often nightmares. There were always aliens, but they weren't your typical aliens. They were always these odd looking, built, ominous men. However, the men didn't always keep that face and body. They could change into whoever they pleased. They had a mission, and would kill any innocent or non-innocent that would get in their way. There was also this black, oily substance that would enter the body. The body would undergo a transformation. The eyes, they would turn completely black.

His mind would be haunted with this every night, and he knew there was no way to stop it. He would wake up crying whenever these men would attack him, and they were impeccably strong. Luckily, he was never hurt in his dreams. He would always be saved by either the red head or the man. They would tell him not to be afraid. They would tell him that they would never let anything happen to him. They would tell him that they loved him.

--  
Auburn Primary School  
10:13 am

"Everyone," Mrs. Lea, a tall, thin woman, in a high-waisted black pencil skirt and white blouse, announced to the class, which also contained many parents, but not William's. "Now we're going to hear from William Patterson."

The small child carried his poster, small notebook, diorama, and report book all to the front table in front of the classroom. All eyes were on him.

"Hello, my name is William Patterson. My story is called 'The Black Oil and Super Soldiers'." He said in a clear voice to the many eyes that watched him. He wasn't at all nervous, even with the video camera watching him from the back. "I got my idea from my dreams. I would have dreams about men chasing me. In my dream they were called super soldiers. They're not actually soldiers, but they are aliens. They can change what they look like and everything." William's father, Tom, snuck in the back from the slightly open door. "Whenever they see me in my dreams they come attack me. They tell me in a deep, scary voice that I shouldn't be alive. They tell me that I'm part alien too. But the man and woman in my dream, my mommy and daddy, they protect me." Tom, in the back, smiled. "I love my mommy and daddy in my dreams. My mommy, who is short with red hair and pretty blue eyes, loves me. My daddy is very tall. He has brown hair, green eyes, and is in good shape."

The other guests and students turned to look at Tom. They noticed that he didn't at all fit the description. Tom was bald on the top of his head, with blonde hair on the side. His eyes were a golden brown, and he was thin. Tom frowned at his son's words, and now felt utterly embarrassed from seeing the expressions on the other parents' and students' faces.

"Black oil isn't oil at all." William started on a new subject in his story. "It is alive. It's an oily, black substance. It goes into a body and makes it an alien. It usually looks like oil looking worms. When it goes into a person their eyes go completely black. The biggest part of my story is that the aliens will be invading our planet. They're going to destroy everyone. It is happening on two zero one two... in December. I forget what day though." As William began to show his diorama, the teacher pulled him away from the desk.

"William," The teacher whispered to William. She looked at the audience in the classroom again, seeing horrified faces. "You're going to have to go to the office."

"Did I do something bad?" The innocent young boy asked. Mrs. Lea bit her lip, wondering how to word this.

"No... Not exactly, but you'll have to talk to Principal Gamelin and the guidance counselor. Your Mom, Dad, and I will be in their too."

"Okay," William said the fear obvious in his tone.

--  
William's feet were dangling on the edge of the couch as he, Tom, the principal, Mrs. Lea, and the guidance counselor waited for Anna to arrive. His father wore an ashamed, embarrassed look on his face.

"Mrs. Patterson," Principal Gamelin welcomed William's mother.

"What did he do now?" Anna asked irritated, coming into the room and putting her purse down.

"Well," Mrs. Lea began, taken back by Anna's tone. "His creative science project is at question. We're afraid William is suffering through something. His story, which I'm sure you have read, is-"

"I haven't read any story of his."

"Oh?" Mrs. Lea said.

"I didn't tell those people that I had a project," William said from the couch in a small voice.

"Why didn't you tell them William?" The short blonde guidance counselor named Ms. Quinn asked William in a sweet nice tone.

"The letter Mrs. Lea gave me said parents. They're not my mommy and daddy."

"What makes you say that?" Ms. Quinn asked.

"My mommy is beautiful with red hair, blue eyes, and is short. My mommy loves me and is nice. That lady is tall, with short brown hair, and she has brown eyes. That's not my mommy. That lady doesn't love me and is not nice." It looked like William was telling the truth, but no one could believe it. Yet, his face looked so innocent, and there was no trace of falseness or lying in his eyes. "My daddy is tall with brown hair, green eyes, and has a different body than him," William pointed at Tom.

"Are you referring to the people in your story, Will?" Ms. Quinn spoke again.

"Yes, Ms. Quinn." William smiled.

"Do you know the names of your Mommy and Daddy in your story?" William shook his head.

"But she calls him Mulder, and he calls her Scully."

"Do your dreams scare you William?" Mr. Gamelin asked, gently, despite the fact that Tom and Anna looked outraged. Tears welted in William's eyes, threatening to fall. He gave a slight nod.

--  
"We're going to have William see a specialist. But we're also going to have him stay with child services for the next few days. You'll both be able to see him." Ms. Quinn told Tom. Tom was still in the office but Anna was waiting by the door.

"Why does he need to stay with child services?"

"At the school, we take a child's claims very seriously. If all goes well, you'll have him back."

"And if it doesn't?" Her face turned hard.

"That shouldn't even be a question in your mind, Mr. Patterson."

--  
2pm  
4 days later

"Hey Scully," Mulder said, in a playful tone, standing in front of their new home. It was a two story, white, modern house, and built five years prior.

"Yeah, Mulder?" She asked.

"I'll beat you inside," Mulder took off to the front door, but Scully grabbed onto his waist, pulling him back. Her long red hair swirled everywhere as she pulled him back. Just as Scully got a head, Mulder put his strong arms around her and got in front, taking the lead. Scully again, put her arms around his waist in attempt to stop him, but instead Mulder picked her up bridal style and carried her through the door.

"I feel like we're getting married," Scully said with a smile. "But I still think I won."

"No," Mulder began, setting her down. "It was a tie. And we're already married," he smirked, waving his wedding band in her face.

"My foot made it through the threshold before you did." She walked off into the kitchen, stopping at the three boxes of dishes sitting on the island. "Ugh, ready to finally un-pack?" Mulder didn't answer, he just looked at the mail he and Scully both received, "Mulder?"

"Hey Scully, who do we know by the name Gillian Lea?"

"Nobody, that I know of," she came up behind Mulder, putting her arms around his waist, and pressing a kiss to his arm as she too looked at the letter curiously.

It was in a large dark yellow envelope, addressed to "Ms. Scully & Mr. Mulder". Their first names were not used. It was sent all the way from Wyoming.

"Well, I guess they don't know your name is now, 'Mrs. Mulder'."

"Mulder just open it." Scully said, impatient, wondering why a Gillian Lea was sending them such a large envelope. 'Now, who do we know in Wyoming?' She asked herself. Mulder took out a smaller white envelope that read, "Please, read this first" on the front. He opened it, and they both silently read it.

_Dear Dana Scully and Fox Mulder,  
You do not know me, but my name is Gillian Lea. I'm a first grade teacher at Auburn Primary School, in Auburn, Wyoming. I teach a young boy named, William Patterson, who is six. Just today, he presented his creative science project. These ideas he had in his head were not at all from a six year old child. William is the nicest child in my class, and it got me a little worried when I heard his project. Now, you both were mentioned in William's story. I found you through searching the internet. Luckily, I was able to find your new home address. This story of his intrigued me, and I thought you should have a look, since you are after all, mentioned. If you know William Patterson, please know that he is in good hands. We have him at a child protection services. We fear that his home life is not stable. Please contact me back if you know anything on what is going on. I'm sorry to bother you both if you really know nothing about this boy._

Sincerely,  
Mrs. Gillian Lea

PS. I have included a tape of William's project, copies of every part of his project as well.  
  
Mulder pulled Scully into his chest where she dampened his dark green sweater. Tears fell silently from Mulder's eyes as he held his wife.

"Mulder, I don't know if we can open the rest." She said in between sobs.

"Scully, you and I both know that our little boy might be in very grave danger."

"That's just it Mulder," She looked at him, unable to calm herself. "He's not our little boy anymore. He has a family." She buried herself into him again, not wanting to think the thought. Mulder lifted her up bridal style with ease. He carried her crying form to the couch where they sat. Mulder let her cry into him as he smoothed her hair.

"He's still ours Scully. He's with child services. That wasn't a good family for him. We're his family. We love him." She let out louder sobs, and Mulder continued to cradle her until she calmed down a little bit more. He knew she didn't want to hear it, but it had to be said.

"If... if they hurt him it's my entire fault. I gave him up!"

"Shh," he rubbed her back, soothing her.

"Open it, Mulder," He kissed her cheek, hoping she would calm down before he could do it. "Do it before I change my mind." She had no emotion in her voice. All of the emotion she had in her was put forth into her tears.

They both read his story silently, to themselves. It shocked them how accurate everything was. Mulder began to cry with Scully as they read their little boys words, seeing the copy of his name printed on the front of his story, 'William Patterson'. One of his visual aids was a series of pictures he drew to go along with the story. Mulder and Scully were featured many times. Scully looked just like the figure William drew. Same thing went for Mulder. After looking through all of the papers that were sent, Mulder pulled out the DVD.

Scully looked up at Mulder with puffy eyes. She shook her head; Mulder understood.

"Not now," Scully whimpered, "not yet."

"I believe in miracles where you from  
You sexy thing (you sexy thing-you)  
I believe in miracles since you came along  
You sexy thing." (A/n: Thank you Teliko. x3! haha)

"Who's that?" She asked when she heard his blackberry ring from on the table. Her voice was muffled in his shirt.

"That would be Skinner."

"What?" Scully laughed into his chest. She found his ringtone for Skinner hilarious. "Well, answer it."

"Mulder." Mulder answered his phone just like he had since 93'. It was like nothing had changed.

"Hey Mulder, you and Scully better get down to the FBI now. We have a case that you need to hear about."

"Skin man, that's no longer our job anymore, you know that. I couldn't make her go back after all that has happened."

"Mulder..."

"No, we can't. Besides we're unpacking and," Skinner interrupted him.

"It's William, Mulder. It's about William."

**Like? There's going to be more chapters to come.  
****  
6 days til XF2, guys!! I'm so going to the midnight show! getting some xfiles jeans... and making a shirt!  
i was going to go i costume but i wanna make my x-files jeans!**

**Please, Review :D**


	2. Protect

**Thanks to Teliko. x3 for beta-ing. Yes, my new xfbff.  
Fun Fact: If you say "Noromos" backwards (SOMORON) it sounds like "Some Moron"  
I hope you like this chap. I think it's adorable. sobs little William sobs so cute... meeting real parents.  
This chapter kind of gets a little angsty.**

**Summary:  
William is haunted by terrible dreams that reveal too much about the truth. (Super Soldiers/Black Oil/Alien Invasion). But what happens when after a class project on imagination this goes to the FBI? William gets taken away from his abusive adoptive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, and protect their son from the danger that is sure to come.**

**Chapter 2: Protect**

William sat in his new bedroom. He was at Child Services in Washington DC. He let his feet dangle off the side of his bed as he held his stuffed alien in front of him.

"Spooky," William whispered to the alien. "I want to see my real mommy and daddy. I don't feel safe here. I don't know anyone." William jumped up off of the bed. "I have an idea, Spooky!" William cheered and tried pulling his suit case off the bed. He ignored the fact that he knocked a bunch of clothes to the floor. William just crawled under the sheets, Spooky in his hands. "Let's go to sleep Spooky! I don't care about those scary men in my dreams. I wanna see my mommy and daddy."

"William," A man knocked on the door before opening it. He was tall and bald. William turned and sat up in bed. "Hi William, my name is Special Agent Walter Skinner. I'm with the FBI." Skinner sat down on the edge of the bed. William seemed very shy in front of Skinner. He brought his knees to his chest, underneath the cold, foreign sheets.

"Am I in trouble?" William innocently asked. "Did I do something bad?"

"No William. You're fine."

"Why did I have to come here?"

"William, we are concerned about your safety. Do you remember what happened last night?" William nodded. Clearly it wasn't something that he wanted to remember.

"Mommy and Daddy weren't there to protect me," William whispered.

"Do you mean your mommy and daddy from your dreams?" Skinner asked in a nice manner,

"They're really real! I just never met them."

"Can you tell me what you remember from last night?" William shook his head sullenly.

"It's too scary," his eyes rimmed with tears. And Skinner immediately saw the fear that mirrored in them.

"Sir," a short blonder haired man in a grey suit walked in through the door. He was the guard at the door. He motioned for Skinner to come closer. "I just got off the phone with Mulder. I told him to meet you here instead. He said that he'll be here in 10-20 minutes."

--  
"You know Mulder I was thinking that I was okay with accepting our loss. After all this time I was thinking that I would be okay talking about him. And I was... but to actually see him?" Mulder and Scully were parked in the parking lot outside of Lady of the Sacred Heart Children Center. Her face was angled toward him. She spoke in the softest tone, and was very nervous.

"Do you want to wait in here?" Mulder said, equally as soft. He stroked her cheek and put a stray lock of red hair behind her ear.

"No... I'll be fine. Mulder, I don't want to get too involved in this case." She took his hand from her cheek and held it, pressing a soft kiss onto his knuckles. "I just want to help in any way we can to protect our son. But I don't want to get wrapped up in FBI work anymore. It's not our job. We left that life, and we started a new one." Mulder gave her a weak nod and kissed her cheek. Scully was on the verge of tears.

"Scully, our son hasn't seen you in six years, and I don't think he wants to see you crying. Even though," Mulder wiped away the lonely tears that fell. "You're just as beautiful as ever." Scully couldn't help but to smile at his flattering compliments. "You ready now?" he asked gently. She took a deep breath and nodded.  
Scully and Mulder both were greeted at the door by a familiar face.

"Walter Skinner as I live and breathe," Mulder said walking up to Skinner, whose hair was now slightly gray. Scully followed behind him, tears now hiding behind her eyes, smile now formed. Scully and Skinner shared a hug, and Mulder and him were about to have a hand shake, but Mulder turned it into a hug.

"It's been six years," Scully said to Skinner, now frowning, realizing how much time had passed.

"It's been a long time." Skinner agreed. "But about... about William. Well, we better discuss this inside," Skinner opened one of the glass doors and led the way in from the cold.

They rounded the corner and took the elevator up to the fourth floor. At the end of the hallway there was a door, guarded by the short blonde haired man. It was undoubtedly William's room.

"William... your son... well in Wyoming, while at the local Child Services' Center, there was a break in." Skinner was unsure how to word it. "The doors were broken down with incredible force, and the windows were shattered. The person... or persons involved broke into William's room. Apparently, one of the resident nuns said that William did not even scream, but the look on his face was terrified. One of the nuns described the weapon as a metal stick with a large needle on the end. When the nun arrived in the room she saw a man jump out of the fifth story window. She ran to the window only to find that he was nowhere to be seen." Scully and Mulder both had their jaws dropped. "Now, I went in to speak with him, and he was too afraid to tell me anything. The look in his eyes was..." He didn't know if he should be describing this. Scully looked so vulnerable. "Anyway, he said that you two weren't there to protect him. He said, 'Mommy and Daddy weren't there to protect me.' But Mulder, Scully, you know that we need to know these details to protect him. I was thinking if you were to go in and..."

"Skinner," Mulder looked down to Scully who was looking up at him with blue glassy eyes, tears spilling from out the corners. "Go back in and ask William if he would tell his Daddy what happened." Mulder wiped the tears from Scully's cheek with his thumbs as Skinner walked into the room, and shut the door quietly behind him.

"You know after we see him our lives are going to change. Everything is going to be different." Scully breathed in his scent off of his dark green sweater on his shoulder.

"I know, Scully. But does it matter when we can protect him?"

--  
"Hey, William it's me again," William was standing next to the window, staring out it, and holding his stiffed alien.

"Hi," William said in the quiet shy voice he used earlier that day.

"What are you thinking about?" There was no answer. William just stared down at his shoes. "Are you thinking about last night?" William nodded, without looking at Skinner. "You know William... we're here to protect you. And the FBI needs to know what happened. Can you tell us?" William shook his head.

"It's too scary." He repeated his words that he had just used only a half an hour before hand.

"What if your daddy came in? Would you tell your daddy what happened?" William looked up at Skinner with a sad expression. He nodded.

"But... I don't know where my daddy or my mommy is." It looked like tears were forming in the child's eyes.

"Wait here, William."

--  
Skinner came out of the door to see Mulder and Scully resting on the bench across the hall. Her head was on Mulder's shoulder. Her eyes were closed and it looked like she had been crying. Mulder's arm was protectively around her waist. And their fingers were intertwined. Her red hair spilled out pass her shoulder's, resting on her tan fall jacket. The special agent standing guard continued to look at the couple.

"Mulder," Skinner said in a calm tone. Scully opened her eyes and allowed Mulder to leave her to see their son. "How is she?"

"She's handling this better than I expected, actually. She's a strong woman; we both know that."

"He wants to see you, Mulder. He said that he'll speak to you. Take your time, Mulder. I know that you'll want to talk to him. "

Mulder took a deep breath before opening the door to William's room. He walked in quietly and stood by a desk that was in the farthest corner away from William. Mulder took in the sight of his son.

He was wearing a light blue long sleeved shirt made of a light material and brown corduroy pants. His hair was the same brown as Mulder's. Only it was a bit lighter, and that was the same shade as Mulder's when he was a kid. He had Scully's coloring, a creamy pale. In his hand, William clutched on to a familiar looking stuffed alien. It was the same alien that Mulder had given William that day in the hospital.

Mulder took several steps forward until he was at the foot of the bed. William continued to stare out the window.

"William," Mulder said in a soft tone to his son. William turned around at the sound of the familiar voice.

"Daddy?" A smile was on William's face; his eyes were bright and happy. At hearing that word escape William's lips a smile formed on Mulder's face as well.

"Yeah Will," William ran towards Mulder, his arms extended. Mulder quickly got down on one knee and caught his son in a big warm hug.

"Daddy, why are you crying?" William asked, wiping away tears from his father's face. Mulder didn't even realize that tears were coming from his eyes.

"I'm just... really happy to see you Willie." Mulder picked William up under his arms and carried him to the bed, sat down on the bed, and placed William on his lap.

"How comes I only saw you in my dreams? Why did I live with those mean people? Where've you been?" William asked many questions just like any curious six year old. William sat on his daddy's lap, holding onto his daddy's neck.

"So many questions," Mulder laughed, and touched his son's cheek.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no Will don't be sorry." Mulder was still smiling.

"I wanna see Mommy too." William said sweetly.

"I'm sure that Mommy wants to see you too, Will. We've both missed you so much."

"Where is Mommy?"

"She's outside, buddy, but," But as soon Mulder mentioned that she was outside the room, William jumped off his knee and ran straight for the door. Scully was sitting on the bench with Skinner, talking with him in hushed tones. William threw the door open and ran right past the guard.

"Mommy!" William yelled and ran to Scully, his mother. His arms were extended and Scully caught him in a death grip. Tears stung her eyes.

"William," Scully breathed, she held him, her one hand on William's soft hair, the other on William's side. Without breaking away from holding on to William, Scully picked up her son and walked into the room with him. She shut the door silently behind her.

Mulder was still sitting on the bed. His eyes were red, and it was quite obvious that he had been crying too. Scully smiled to him as she walked in with William. Tears were rapidly flowing from the corners of her eyes.

"He looks just like you when he runs. He has those little legs, Scully," Mulder gave scully a little wink, and he moved his hands out in front of him, fast, imitating little legs moving.

"Shut up, Mulder." Scully formed a huge smile, before sitting down on the bed next to Mulder. Once she sat down, Mulder leaned into her and kissed the corners of her lips, causing her huge smile to reappear on her lips. She let out a giggle. William had a huge smile on his face. It was adorable, and his missing two front teeth were showing.

"Daddy, look," William pointed to his mommy. "Mommy is crying too! Mommy, why are you crying?" William put his little hands on his mother's cheeks, wiping away tears.

"I'm just so happy I have you back, William," Her breathing was heavy as she spoke.

"I don't get it, Mommy. "

"Willie, do you know what the word 'adopted' means?" Mulder took his son into his lap. William latched on like he would never let go. Scully walked over to the desk where a box of tissues was sitting. She blew her nose and attempted to dry her eyes.

"Doesn't that mean to get taken away?" Scully's body snapped around to face them. The look on her face was horrified. How could her little boy know so much? Mulder saw the look on her face and tried to choose his words carefully.

"N...no, see William you know those people you were living with?"

"Yes... the mean ones." He recalled painfully.

"They adopted you when you were only eight months old. Up until that time mommy had you."

"Why did they take me from you?"

"You know Mr. Skinner?" Scully came to sit down next to Mulder and her son again.

"Yes. He was talking to me."

"Do you know what Mr. Skinner's job is?"

"An," William thought for a good five seconds, "FBI agent."

"Yeah, that's right." Scully chimed in, smiling a warm smile at her little boy. "You see Daddy and I used to be FBI agents. Being an FBI agent is really dangerous. There were a few moments when you were a baby that you were also put into danger. Now, I loved you so much. I had to give you up so that you would never be in danger again. William, I may have gave you up, but Daddy and I never stopped loving you." Scully kissed her son's cheek while Mulder got him on the head.

"I don't like it here. It's scary, and I don't like it."

"Why don't you like it?" Mulder asked.

"It reminds me of the place... where I was last night."

"Can you tell Daddy and me what happened last night?" Scully asked, and William crawled into her arms. He reached for spooky and hugged him.

"It's scary."

"Mommy and I are right here," Mulder squeezed William's shoulder. Scully smiled at Mulder, noticing how easy it was him to slip into fatherhood. When William looked up at her she saw the terrified look in his eyes. She hugged him close.

"Okay... well, I just woke up from a really bad dream. One of those big scary men told me that they were coming for me. I didn't know why, because they were already there. I turned around to look for you guys... but you were gone. I woke up and crawled out of bed with Spooky," William held up the alien toy. Mulder and Scully both smiled at each other. "I went to the window and I didn't see anything. So then I stood in front of my bed. I heard screaming from downstairs. Then seconds later, my door breaks. It just busted in half. Then I saw them. I saw three of those scary guys in my dreams, those... super soldiers. He came at me holding a metal thingy with a big needle on the end. I didn't scream. Those mean people I lived with always punished me for screaming. But then the one nun who was nice to me... her name was Maria... she ran in the room, but the super soldiers already jumped out of my window.

"Then, the one black hair lady packed up my things for me. She told me that I had to go to Washington. I told her that I didn't want to go because I visited the mean people's family in Washington before, and I didn't like it. So I ended up here, and Mr. Skinner told me that I was in Maryland." Mulder and Scully both exchanged a glance.

"Baby, this is Washington D.C., Maryland."

"Oh. But Mommy... can I please just stay with you and daddy? I don't want to be alone. Before the super soldiers left... one told me that he'll be back." William began crying. All Scully could do was rock him close. His arms were around her neck, and he cried on her shoulder. "I don't wanna see them again! I thought they were only in my dreams! And in my dreams you guys would protect me!"

"Shh," Scully told William, patting his back. "We're going to do all we can to protect you, William." He was terrified at the thought of the super soldiers coming back. There was a knock at the door.

"Mulder," Skinner said the door now open. "Can I see you out here for a second?" Mulder looked at Scully before leaving the room. Her eyes were closed and she had a tight hold on their son. "How's it going in there?" Skinner asked first while they were in the hallway.

"We've missed him so much." Mulder smiled. "And...he uhm told us about what happened that night."

"What did he say?"

Mulder gave Skinner a account on William's words.

"Skinner, is there... anyway that we could get him back?"

"Well," Skinner thought long and hard. He was beginning to see how hard it was for Scully and Mulder to see their son, and then possibly lose him all over again. "If you want to adopt him back you can't; you can't right now. But I can sign a few papers to get you to be his legal guardians for FBI purposes of course. Although you aren't in the FBI anymore, he is safest with you two."

"When can you do this?"

"It's going to take a while. But you should be able to take him home tomorrow."

"Skinner, he's horrified. He refuses to stay here. He said it's exactly like his room in Wyoming at the Child Services Center."

"Well, there's going to be a guard here all night, but you and Scully could stay with him in the room."

"I'll go tell her," Mulder spun around to get back into the door, but Skinner stopped him by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Mulder," Skinner said, making Mulder face him again. "Back in 2002, William was injected with something. Jeffrey Spender injected him, and it turned William into normal baby with no extraordinary powers. Why do the super soldiers want him, now?"

"They don't know. They had no idea that he had been given up. They had no idea where he was for the past six years."

"They don't know that he is just like a normal kid?" Mulder shook his head. "What happens when they do find out?"

"The... invasion planned for 2012... it'll start now." Skinner was speechless. "Uh... go tell Scully what I said."

--  
When Mulder walked in the room, William was lying bed, and Scully was in there next to him, on top of the sheets. They were facing each other and Scully and William were both smiling.

"Was I a noisy baby?" William asked. Scully's palm was on his cheek, and William's palm was on Scully's.

"No, you were a very good quiet baby." Mulder sat on the bed, watching the two.

"What was my favorite toy?" Scully pointed to the stuffed alien had in his left arm, "Spooky?"

"Yep. Your Daddy brought that to the hospital with him the day after you were born." William looked to Mulder. Mulder nodded.

"William, how would you like to stay with us?" Mulder asked. Scully looked to him, her expression unreadable.

"I want to." William sat up in bed, smiling.

"Well," Mulder began; William now sat right in front of his father, "not today, but tomorrow."

"Why not today?" William whined.

"There are still a lot of papers that need to be signed. We'll be right here though while you sleep, so you won't get any unwanted visitors." William grinned.

"Really daddy, really mommy," William looked to his mother who shot a glance to his father, asking the same question. Mulder nodded for them both. Mulder checked his watch, 7:02.

"William, mommy and I are going to go home real quick, okay? But, we'll be back for you in about an hour."

"Okay," William hugged his father, and then he hugged his mother.

Mulder began walking to the door, followed by Scully. William jumped out of bed and tugged on Scully's sleeve.

"Mommy," William started. Scully bent down on one knee to hear what he had to say. "Please don't cry anymore. I don't like seeing you cry." William put his arms around his mother in a hug, and she hugged him tight, her bottom lip quivering in its usual manner.

"We'll be right back, William." Scully whispered before kissing his cheek.

Scully and Mulder both walked into their house, hand in hand. The car ride was silent and neither said a word as they went through the door way. They were both still processing what had happened all in their mind.

Scully walked into the bedroom, Mulder followed. She got out clothes for Mulder and then clothes for herself, while Mulder went into the bathroom to get toiletries. When he was finished, he came up behind Scully and wrapped his arms around her. She wasn't alarmed at all by the suddenness of his touch.

"You handled that very well," He purred, his chin on her shoulder.

"I just can't believe it... after all this time, we're able to just walk in on parenthood." She spun around in his arms. "It's just too good." Mulder had her face in his hands. Both hands cupped her cheeks. "But I'm happy, nonetheless." She reassured.

"I am too." Mulder planted a long kiss on her forehead.

**Please, review!!  
**

**I saw xfiles2 for my second time today!  
I'm doing a round three on sunday (:  
I went into the dark knight first because we were early for xfiles and we saw some of my friends there. So once Amanda (friend) and I walked in I was like, "Why are you all here? You should all be in Xfiles" so my Amanda wanted to stay with Vinnie Lorenzo and Kyle (my friends who went to see dark knight) So I went to xf alone. when i t was over I went back into dark knight and during the credits I yelled...  
"EVERYONE GO SEE X-FILES! THE NEXT SHOWING IS 10 MINUTES! THEATER 17! GO! IT'S A BETTER MOVIE THAT THIS!"  
****"Hey you, you're leaving? You better go see x-files"  
and "You better be in xfiles within the next ten minutes, boy with the blue polo"**

**UGH, I'm completely obsessed.**

**Can you say, OMG I can't wait for the DVD? I can.**

**--A.**


	3. Parents

**Thank you, Brittney (:  
Hello, my name is Andrea, I hate Anna and Tom, reviews make me happy, and I love Mulder and Sculllllayyy.****Summary:  
William is haunted by terrible dreams that reveal too much about the truth. (Super Soldiers/Black Oil/Alien Invasion). But what happens when after a class project on imagination this goes to the FBI? William gets taken away from his abusive adoptive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, and protect their son from the danger that is sure to come.**

**It's a longer chapter.**

Summary:  
William is haunted by terrible dreams that reveal too much about the truth. (Super Soldiers/Black Oil/Alien Invasion). But what happens when after a class project on imagination this goes to the FBI? William gets taken away from his abusive adoptive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, and protect their son from the danger that is sure to come.

**Chapter3: Parents**

It was bright and early the next day, and Mulder and Scully just came back to the Child Services Center. They had stayed the night with William, but had to leave in the morning to get a few things done.

"Mulder, Scully," Skinner popped his head into the room. William was so excited to leave. The happiness radiated from his eyes, which began matching his mother's even more every time she would see him. "I need to speak to you both for a minute out here." William was still holding onto Scully's hand and she had to admit, it was hard to let go.

"Stay here, William. We'll be right back." Scully painfully let go of her little boy's hand and followed Mulder out the door where Skinner was waiting to have a word.

"William's adoptive parents called today," Skinner began, but then he paused.

"And," Scully asked. She was afraid what it was that they said. Yes, the bureau had a right to make William stay with Mulder and Scully for protective purposes, but then there were the rights of his adoptive parents, Anna and Tom.

"You two are now the guardians appointed by the FBI, but even though there were charges of mistreatment, the Pattersons have monitored visitation rights."

"Are they still in Wyoming?" Mulder asked; he was calmer than Scully.

"Actually, they've left on a flight to Pennsylvania, where their layover is. Then they're on their way here to Washington."

"Did you tell them about William's new living conditions?" Scully said, sounding more at ease, but Mulder knew better. He put his arm around her waist, brining her nearer.

"I told them that the FBI appointed to new guardians. But they don't know anything about you aside from that. They want to meet you."

"That should be interesting," Scully mumbled, but Mulder and Skinner both heard. She felt so much hate towards those two people. Two people she never even met. But there was also the hate she felt towards herself. The hate she felt because she let her son go to them.

"When are they going to be here?"

"Tomorrow morning, 7am. You'll have to take William back here tomorrow so he can visit in the visiting room. It's scheduled for 12PM."

Mulder and Scully both agreed. They both knew that there was nothing they could do about it. William was their son too, even if they treated him horribly.

"Hey, who's ready to go home?" Mulder called out to his son as he and Scully reentered the room that now belonged to nobody. William ran from the window, where he was standing, and right into his daddy's arms.

"I am!"

"Good, then let's get out of here." Scully added, putting her arms around both her husband and her son, kissing them both on the cheek.

Mulder carried both of William's bags to the car while Scully held William's hand the whole way. When at the car Mulder had a hard time with William's car seat. They all laughed at his confused expression.

William half ran to the house from the driveway. He was so excited to see where he was going to live. He looked to his parents, who were still at the car unloading William's bags.

"Go on in, Willie," Mulder told William from the trunk. William opened the door in a hurry and stepped inside.

"He looks so happy." Scully whispered and leaned against Mulder's chest. "I could tell he wasn't before."

"But now we have him, Scully." Mulder shut the trunk and grabbed both suitcases.

"I don't know, Mulder; I don't think it's over yet."

When they got into the house they saw William sitting all quiet against the wall in the foyer. He was clutching Spooky and his knees were brought up to his chest.

"William is something the matter?" Scully asked. You could hear the worry in her voice. She dropped down to her knees next to her son.

"No mommy... Where's my new room?"

"Well," Mulder stooped down low. "If you get on my back, I'll show you." William smiled and hesitated to climb on his daddy's back.

"M-mommy can I?" William asked his mother first, which surprised her.

"Of course you can Willie." Scully smiled and watched Mulder take off up the stairs. Scully followed, but not as quickly as her husband and son.

The white door was wide open and William and Mulder were both nowhere to be seen. Scully's eyes traveled from the middle of the room to the French doors to the right. They were open, allowing a cold chill to pass through the room. Father and son were both on the small balcony that was shared by William's new room and Mulder and Scully's.

"Do you like the view, William?" Scully asked, coming out onto the balcony and placing her hands on her son's shoulders. There were trees widely spaced throughout the back yard, but they all came together at the end and formed the woods. "It doesn't look like that much right now, but in the nighttime it's amazing." William remained quiet, staring out.

"Mommy... Daddy," William spoke up. The use of those two words never ceased to making the two parents happy. "Am I going to have a bed? Am I going to have a dresser?" Scully let out a small little giggle.

"Actually, your Daddy just ordered you a bed and a dresser last night online. It should be here by the end of today."

"Do we have TV here?"

"Yes, we do. Do you want to go watch it?" William smiled what would've been a teeth bearing smile if he had his front two teeth on the top. He nodded. "Go downstairs. We'll be down in a second. I'll make you and daddy breakfast. How do you like your eggs?"

"Scrambled," William was inching towards the door that led into the hall.

"Really? That's just like," Scully touched Mulder's arm. He was being quiet, "your daddy. You go downstairs, Will. I'll be there in a minute."

Once William was down the stairs, Scully wrapped her arms around Mulder. She just realized how cold it was outside. Mulder's grey sweater was warm though.

"What're you thinking?" Scully whispered against Mulder's back. He turned around so that they were facing each other. He offered her a half smile.

"Everything we've missed as parents," Mulder whispered back, playing with Scully's long locks, twirling them in between his fingers absentmindedly, "First steps, first words, and first birthday, and him losing those two front teeth." Scully felt the same way.

"I feel like that too, Mulder. But it's like you said... we have him now. He's ours for however long."

"I know you're afraid. I am too." Scully nodded, before pressing her cheek against Mulder's chest.

--  
"William," Scully began, grabbing three glasses from a cardboard box on the counter. They still didn't unpack their dishes. "There are a few things Daddy and I need to talk to you about."

William was busy biting a piece of bacon, but he nodded. Scully poured three glasses of orange juice and handed one to Mulder, one to William, and kept the last one for herself.

"William, you're going to have to see... your other parents." Mulder said the words for Scully, the words that made William drop his fork, making a loud clink on the plate.

"No, Daddy! No! They're not my mommy and daddy! You two are, and I don't want to see them!"

"William," Scully reached out to her son, interrupting his rant. "They have the right to see you."

"I don't want to," he whined. "They're mean to me! The lady is horrible and the man just copies her!"

"William," Mulder tried this time. "We'll be there with you, okay? We'll be in the next room over. They're not going to be mean to you. I promise you that."

"No! I don't want to go!" William got up to run out of the kitchen. But, he knocked over his glass of orange juice to the floor, shattering it into many pieces. William froze in place, eyes wide, staring at the glass, eyes wide with fright.

_"Achoo!" William sneezed at the dinner table and right into his milk. Luckily he caught the glass while it rocked from side to side before it could drop to the ground and send glass everywhere. But the second sneeze surprised him. "Achooooooo!" The glass slid off the table due to the force of William's nose hitting it. It hurdled to the ground with a loud smashing noise._

_"William Fox Patterson!" His mother roared from the other room, stomping in. William's lips were already trembling. He knew what he was going to get. It was late at night... 11pm, his mother and father just got home from an evening out, and it was the time of the day that his parents were most irritable, night time, when they were drunk_

_"Mo-," But before William could even utter the word, 'Mommy.' A shard of glass flew at William's left arm. He let out a shriek once the glass pierced his skin. Another piece jabbed him right in the side but didn't quite penetrate the skin. The third piece hit his right arm and hard. William was down on the floor crying._

_"Are you going to clean this fucking mess up?" She asked, kicking glass at his feet. William was clutching his arm, shaking._

_"What the hell's going on in here?" The tall bald man, his father, walked in. He shook his head angrily and kicked William in the leg._

_"Clean this mess up and get your sorry ass to bed!" The smell of liquor on him was strong, but poor William knew it to be a familiar smell practically every night._

_"You worthless piece of shit," His mother added before exiting the kitchen with her husband._

"William," Scully scooped her son into her arms. "It's fine. It's fine. Don't worry about the glass. Daddy's got it." William welcomed the scent of her hair, which his face was now buried in, the smell of coconut. William opened his now squinted, tear filled eyes to see his father picking up the glass. William re-buried his face in his mother's hair as his mind recovered from a flashback of a traumatizing event.

She sat with William on her lap on the couch as he began to calm down. He pulled away to look at his mother's concerned face, her loving blue eyes had tears as well. His eyes found the small scar on his arm. He rubbed his little fingers over it. Scully's eyes caught the place his wandered over to, seeing the scar. She brought him into her, and Mulder walked over and sat with his small family until the doorbell rang. The people who brought William's bed and dresser were there.

"William, wake up," Scully rubbed the back her hand alongside William's face. It was 9:30 am. Mulder was right behind Scully, who sat on the edge of William's bed. The room wasn't quite his own yet. The bed was placed against the wall, the dresser against the opposite wall. But, Mulder did promise William that they would go shopping after the little meeting at the Child Services Center. William's eyes flickered open, blue as ever. A smile was clear across his lips.

"Hi mommy," He said in his sleepy tone.

"Did you have a good sleep?" William grabbed his mother's hand and played with it, tracing the faint lines on the inside of her palm. He nodded a sincere nod. It was true; he didn't have a bad dream.

"What did you dream?" Mulder asked, walking over to the other side of the bed where he sat down, looking at his son the same way his wife was.

"I was at some giant playground with my old friends... from where I used to live."

"Do you miss your friends?" Mulder asked. William nodded. "Well, you can try and make new friends. You start school tomorrow. Do you like school?" William nodded again.

"You're going to St. John School."

"You'll have fun. Our neighbor's little girl Ashlynn goes there. You two are in the same grade." William was now sitting up in bed. Scully was smiling after she spoke her words.

"A girl?!" He seemed disgusted.

"She's a very nice girl, William." Scully smiled at the thought of William having his first little crush.

"I don't like girls, Mommy. They're icky." Mulder and Scully exchanged a glance and laughed.

"I like girls, Willie." Mulder kissed Scully's cheek, making her giggle a bit.

"No you don't." He pushed the covers off of him, and sat with his legs folded. "You like Mommy." Mulder laughed, and Scully gave him a light push.

"I'm not girl William?" Scully had to keep a straight face. It wasn't working.

"I...I didn't mean it like that. You are a girl. And you're the only girl that I'll ever like... and Daddy too."

"No... William. That's where you're wrong. I don't just like your mommy. I love your mommy." He and Scully shared a cute and quick kiss on the lips, sending William into giggles.

"I love Mommy too, Daddy." William stood up on his bed and knocked his mother over with a hug.

"I love you both, too," Scully got up, still holding William, and sat him on the ground. "We're going out to eat before we go see your other parents."

"Not my parents," William muttered.

"What would you like us to call them, Will?" Mulder asked, standing up and advancing towards the door where Scully was standing.

"Their names," William walked over to his dresser and grabbed what he wanted to wear.

"Okay," Mulder began, "We'll call them Anna and Tom."

--  
"My tummy hurts, Mommy." William complained as the small family walked towards the red building, all holding hands.

"You're just nervous sweetie," Scully offered her son a warm smile.

"Because I don't want to go," he mumbled.

"Everything's going to be fine," Mulder stopped and picked William up into his arms, hoisting him up on his hip. Mulder used his other arm to wrap it around Scully's waist, so that they were connected at the hip. She placed her small hand on the small of his back as they walked through the doors.

Skinner was waiting in the hallway for them. He led them down the whole hallway until they were at the last two doors.

"William, you go sit in that chair, okay?" Skinner said with the door open. Mulder was still holding his son. The room was bright and colorful with toys neatly placed on shelves and against the wall.

"I don't want to leave Daddy and Mommy." Mulder placed William on the ground, not wanting to.

"Willie, you told us you would behave," Scully pointed out, getting down to William's level, on one knee. His eyes welted with tears, Scully wiped them as soon as they fell. "It's only one hour. Then we can go home, okay?" William nodded.

"But Daddy promised that we could go shopping." Scully laughed.

"We can go home and then go shopping, okay?" William nodded again. "Now give me a smile." He thought for a moment whether he should or not, but ended up giving his mother a smile.

"We'll be right in that room," Mulder pointed to the door next to the open one they were standing at. "We can watch you through that mirror... okay buddy?" William gave his last nod and turned to take a seat in the small red chair at the table.

Once the door was shut, Skinner went back down the hall towards the front doors. Mulder and Scully both followed. Skinner had told them that Anna and Tom had requested to meet them.

A few minutes later a tall bald man in jeans and a green sweater walked towards the building with a woman with short brown hair wearing jeans and a blue sweater.

"Mrs. Patterson, Mr.-" Skinner began, but was interrupted by the woman.

"Actually, it's Mrs. Van De Kamp. I wouldn't change my last name to Patterson when we got married." She gave a slight laugh. "But you may call me Anna." She seemed polite enough.

"I'm Assistant Director Walter Skinner with the FBI. William is just down the hall, but you wanted to meet the two people with your son. "This is Fox Mulder and this is Dana Scully."

"Dana Mulder, now." Mulder corrected Skinner, and received a good elbowing from Scully. Anna's jaw was dropped at hearing the two people's names. Tom shook both of their hands.

"You two look like very nice people." Tom began. He clearly did not remember the names of the people William dreamed about. "I'm just glad that William is in good hands right now." Scully exchanged a quick glance with Mulder. She tried her hardest to stop from hurling a bunch of words at the couple opposite of them. She bit her lip.

"You say your names are Mulder and Scully?" Anna said, with no exact tone evident.

"Yes." Mulder answered.

"Interesting," she looked towards Skinner. "Mr. Skinner, may we please see our son." Scully may have imagined it but it seemed to her that Anna had emphasized the word 'our.'

--  
Mulder, Scully, Skinner, and one of the employees at the facility monitored the visit. William was very quiet and he answered all the questions Anna and Tom would ask.

"Mommy and I miss you, Will." Tom said, reaching out to William. William quickly pulled his hand away and off the table.

"You two are not my mommy and daddy."

"Yes we are Will, and we love you." Anna said with a smile. She was clearly upset with William. She hated that he said that. She decided to keep her cool. Tom was doing that.

Luckily, by the time that happened, it was time to go.

"William," Skinner popped his head in the door. "It's time to go. Say goodbye." William got up from his chair and turned, without saying even the simplest goodbye.

"Bye, Will." Tom called out, but William was already at the door. He and Anna followed William out into the hallway. As soon as they stepped out of the bright and colorful room, William was already lifted up onto Scully's hip, and they were about half way down the hallway. Anna scowled.

"Mommy, I thought you said we were going to get stuff for my room, today?" William said, struggling to get himself out of the car seat. William was too tiny to sit in the back without one. He hated it.

"We are Will. Daddy promised, remember?" Mulder helped William out of his car seat, and William jumped out of the car. Just as he was going to walk back off into the house, something caught his eye.

"Are you coming, Will?" Scully asked, seeing her son standing just outside of the car, looking at something.

"Oh, you see the White's play set. Do you want me to call and see if you can go play on it."

"Can I?"

"I'll call," Scully picked up her blackberry and called her neighbor, Sarah. "Sarah, hi it's Dana. You know how I told you about my six year old, William yesterday morning? Well, would he be able to play on your play set?" She looked at William, smiling. "Go ahead Will." William ran from their driveway, to the neighbor's, to their backyard, and to one of the swings. "Why don't you send Ashlynn out, Sarah? I told William we had a neighbor his age."

William swung silently in the slightly chilly air. The sunlight streaming through the clouds warmed his cheeks. He was snug inside his green jacket. He was all alone for about a minute until the White's garage opened. A little white puppy came barking, running out to William.

"Frosty!" A girl's voice called out to the puppy, trying to get him to come back inside. She walked down the small hill from the garage and saw William sitting on the swing petting Frosty. Her name was Ashlynn and she was six, like William. She too was small in height, but with big blue eyes, blonde hair, a small little nose that was dotted with a few light brown freckles. She wore magenta overalls with white flowers and a white jacket.

"Hi," her mother came from the garage, following her daughter outside. Her mother looked like she would have looked just like Ashlynn when she was her age, but with brown hair and brown eyes. "You must be, William."

"Sarah," Scully came down the driveway and said hello to her neighbor. Mulder was right behind her. He waved.

"Hello, Dana, Fox. Ashlynn you remember Mr. and Mrs. Mulder, right?" Ashlynn gave a slight nod.

"William, come here please." William got up from his swing and ran over to his mother, standing behind her, gripping onto her waist. Scully giggled and tried to force him out in front of her. "Ashlynn... Sarah, this is my son, William. William, this is Ashlynn and her mother, Mrs. White, our neighbors." William tried running behind Scully again. Ashlynn let out a giggle.

"Ashlynn that's not polite." Her mother warned.

"William, say hello." William let out a quiet hello. "Mulder, were you this shy when you were William's age?" Mulder laughed and kissed Scully's cheek.

"Ashlynn," Mulder began. "Will's in your grade. He's going to be going to school with you."

"Will," Ashlynn seemed shy herself. "D-do you want to play on my swing set?" Sarah smiled at her daughter and William looked up to his mother for approval.

"Go on ahead, William." William and Ashlynn ran off down the little hill to the swing set, shopping long forgotten.

"Do you both want to sit down?"

"That would be nice; thank you." Sarah walked over to the small sitting area under her deck. There was a small outdoor sofa, a table, and a swinging bench. Sarah took a seat on the sofa while Scully and Mulder took the swing. Sarah turned on the space heater.

"Sean should be here any second, Fox. He ran down to the hardware store. Oh here he is now." A large red truck pulled into the driveway and Sean White stepped out. "Sean, honey, we're over here." Sarah waved to her husband, who smiled and walked over.

"Hi, honey," he kissed and greeted his wife. "Hi Dana, Fox. Where's Ashlynn?" He asked his Sarah.

"Oh, she's down there with little William, Dana and Fox's son. They're going to be going to school together."

"Where did you live before here?" Ashlynn asked William innocently as they swung on the swings.

"Wyoming," he answered just as innocently. The two children were still a little shy around each other. "I lived with really mean people."

"Why did you live with them if they were mean?" William shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. But now I'm with my mommy and daddy."

"When we told him about Ashlynn do you know what his response was?" Scully asked Sarah and Sean with a wide smile.

"Let me guess, he said, 'girls are icky'?" They all laughed.

"That's exactly what he said."

"That's what Ashlynn said when we told her you had a son."

"They seem to be getting along though." Mulder, who was still watching the two play said.

--  
"Do you like video games Will?" Ashlynn asked, climbing the latter into the little tree house section on the play set. William followed her.

"Yep," he answered, while sitting on the cold wood with her.

"Do you like DDR? That's my favorite!"

"DDR is a girl game."

"No it isn't! It's for everyone!" Ashlynn became defensive over her favorite game.

"It's for girls!"

"No it's not. You're lying."

"So I'll take the kids to school on my way to the hospital and you'll pick them up Sarah?"

"Yep, that sounds like a plan. I'll have to get Ashlynn now. She has piano lessons at 3 and it's already 2:30."

"Yeah, we have to take Will out to get some new stuff. It was nice talking to you both." Scully said standing up, Mulder behind her.

"Yeah, same here," Sarah said, standing up too, Sean was behind her just as Mulder was with Scully. "Your family is welcome here whenever," Sarah maintained her smile.

"William, come here please. We're going to go get your stuff now." Scully called out to her son. William ran from the play set to where his mother and father were standing at the driveway. Ashlynn ran up behind him.

"Do we have to right now?" William whined.

"I thought you wanted to go?" Mulder asked.

"I did. But-"

"Ashlynn has to go inside anyways, William. You'll see her tomorrow, okay?" William said his goodbyes to Ashlynn and then climbed back into the car.

After Scully and Mulder left William's room so he could go to sleep he fell asleep almost instantly.

The day before he slept peacefully, but tonight was different. Tonight he trashed around in bed, and he awoke with a scream.

**Thanks for all the reviews I've been getting guys!  
I'm explaining the dream in the next chapter. I'm pretty much guessing you guys hate Anna and Tom too? Yeah. Well, I have something planned for them. The angstiest part has yet to come! You might cry when it does. What about Ashlynn and William? Aww.**

**I've seen xf 3 times now. Hoping for the fourth very very soon.**

**--A.**


	4. Distant

**Disclaimer: X-files is not mine. I wish it was because... I wanna meet Gillian Anderson. and... David... Chirs... and Frank. But mostly Gillian.**

**Summary:  
William is haunted by terrible dreams that reveal too much about the truth. (Super Soldiers/Black Oil/Alien Invasion). But what happens when after a class project on imagination this goes to the FBI? William gets taken away from his abusive adoptive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, and protect their son from the danger that is sure to come.**

**Dedicated to... David Duchovny. I neglected to dedicate something to him for his birthday... (August 7th).**

**Hi! Thanks for the reviews, guys! You rock! BRITTNEY IS THE BEST EVER! love my beta. my xfbff!  
There's gonna be a bit of Mulder Scully Relationship Drama... but don't worry that'll end soon.  
Anna is sure going to piss you off in this chapter... you've been warned. It's a long one. I've heard you guys like long ones (:**

**Chapter4: Distant**

"Mommy! Daddy!" William screamed from his bedroom. HE continued his screaming for his parents until they came in his bedroom. William sat up in his bed clutching spooky in a death grip. His dinosaur pajamas were soaked on the back. They were drenched in William's sweat. Mulder and Scully both ran in, Scully flicked on the light to see William running up to them both, tears streaming down his cheeks. His hair was wet, and some of it was matted to his forehead.

"William, William," Scully was so worried about her son. She bent down on one knee and held his soaked body in her arms. "Baby, you're burning up! What on earth happened? Did you have a bad dream?" Mulder glanced at the clock, 3:45. He knelt down on one knee like Scully had. He saw the terror in his son's eyes, and it radiated off of William to Mulder's whole body. He could've sworn the same thing happened to Scully. William nodded slightly before using the back of his hands to wipe his eyes.

"Will, let's get you changed before you do anything," Mulder pulled his son up into his arms and brought him over to the oak dresser. He pulled out a pair of sleep shorts and a t-shirt. As Mulder helped his son get dressed quickly, Scully arrived back into the room with a thermometer.

"William, sweetheart, we have to take your temperature," William opened his mouth and allowed the thermometer to slide under his tongue. The tears continued to flow down William's cheeks as the thermometer climbed high and higher. Mulder pulled him into his arms, and rocked him slowly. The beep sounded and when Scully took the thermometer out, she was gaping at his fever, 104.2. "Mulder, we have to get him to a hospital now. His temperature's 104.2. " The fear and panic was rising in her voice.

"Get him some clothes while I get the car ready," Mulder told Scully as he ran downstairs.

Scully pulled out sweat pants and a long sleeved shirt out of William's drawers.

"Mommy, what's the matter?" William looked all together out of it. To him, the room was spinning.

"Willie, how's your head, baby? How about your tummy?" William's eyes closed and he collapsed back onto the bed, adding to Scully's frantic mood. "William? William? Mulder!" Scully called down to the floor below.

"Yeah?" Mulder answered, unaware of what just happened. "Call 911. William just fainted!" She checked his breathing and everything as she waited for the ambulance. He was breathing, but he was still unconscious. She changed his clothes and Mulder gently carried him downstairs. Scully got a cold wash cloth and placed it on his head, an remedy used to knock down fevers.

Scully and Mulder both sat in the recliner next to William's bed. What happened to William was nothing serious. It was due to his high fever, but what was his high fever due to? Mulder held Scully in his arms as she silently cried into his chest. Tears occasionally flowed from his eyes as well.

"You know as well as any Doctor here... better than any doctor here... that William is going to be fine. He'll be waking up in a few minutes. We'll be right there for him when he does." He laid a firm kiss on her lips. "He won't want to see you crying, Scully." He wiped a tear away from her eyes. She gave him a half smiled and cupped his cheek.

"M-mommy? Daddy?" William asked in a weak voice. His head was turned towards his parents.

"William, we're here." Scully got up and stood beside his bed. She leaned down to kiss his forehead. "You're going to be just fine, so don't you worry."

"What happened?"

"You were sick, baby." Scully whispered, as she stroked his cheek.

"But don't worry, Buddy. Your doctors have your temperature down."

"I remember getting real dizzy. And I remember..." He struggled to remember. It was like he was fighting back his own memories.

"What do you remember, sweetie?" Scully took his hand into hers.

"I remember... my dream."

"Your dream wasn't real, William. Nothing's going to hurt you in your dream." He nodded at daddy's words.

"But Daddy... they came in the house! They crawled out from under my bed... out of the closet... and out of the mirror! They were surrounding me! They kept saying that they were gonna kill whoever got in their way to me. You both came in my dream, but then I woke up!" He began sobbing just like before.

"Shh," Scully caressed his cheek. "Remember what Daddy said? Nothing's gonna hurt you in your dream."

"Mommy, I was so scared," William reached up for her face, and caressed it just as she did his.

"I know you were, Willie. I know you were."

The door to the room flew open and in the threshold stood a very angry, Anna and Tom. Neither of them looked concerned at all. However, Tom did glance at his son for a moment. But, once that moment was up he glared at Mulder while Anna glared at Scully.

"Ms. Scully," Anna stood at the door, fuming.

"Mrs. Mulder," Mulder corrected, squeezing Scully's hand, reassuringly.

"Ms. Scully may I speak to you for a moment outside please?"

"I'll be right back, baby." Scully told her son and gave him a reassuring smile as she followed Anna out the door and into the hallway.

"I don't know who the hell you think you are." Her arms were crossed and if you squinted hard enough you could see the smoke coming from her ears.

"Excuse me?" Scully calmly answered.

"You heard me. I don't know who the hell you think you are, taking my son away from me, only so he could end up in the hospital a few days later."

"If I understand correctly, Anna." Scully tried keeping her calm, although she was completely infuriated with this lady after what she did to young William. "William was taken away from you because you and Tom both were unfit parents."

"Unfit parents? We are good parents to our boy. I don't know what you were doing showing up in his dreams and convincing him that you are actually his parents!"

"You say it as if I had a choice to be in his dreams."

"Well I sure as hell don't think it was a coincidence. And let me assure you, Scully, I will be getting my son back. I will have him back home with me."

"If you think I'm going to let you be alone with my William again, you are most certainly wrong." She was on the verge of yelling.

"Your William. I don't think so hunny. I will rip you and Mulder apart trying to get him back."

"But you won't. I assure you that you won't. My son will never be hurt by you ever again. My baby will never have to endure such unkindness."

"Were you actually his birth mother?" Scully nodded.

"Yes I was."

"Well, you gave him up. You gave him up to complete strangers. Why? Because you didn't care. You didn't care for him anymore. You couldn't love him. You-"

"Don't you dare put words in my mouth!" Scully's anger boiled over with what words were just spat in her direction. "I loved William more than anything! Mulder and I both did! We still do!"

" From what I understood you were a single mother."

"I was. But Mulder was the father. And we loved him. So don't you ever draw conclusions when you don't know the half of the story. I gave him up because I loved him! I wanted to protect him!"

"You just gave up on your son, and protect him from what?"

"Don't you tell me I gave up on my son. And to protect him from this very thing that is happening to him right now," Scully's eyes were welling up with tears. Anna had no response. She only scowled. "I'm done talking to you." Scully turned around and walked right back in the hospital room to be with Mulder and William. Tom was in the door way. Anna grabbed his arm, and they left.

"What's wrong," Mulder asked as Scully came in wiping her tears. He stood up and took her into his arms.

"Mommy?"

"I'm fine William," she stroked his cheek and looked back up at Mulder. She couldn't take it, looking into his eyes and seeing so much concern he held for her, she pressed her face hard into his chest so her sobs were muffled by his shirt.

"Daddy? What's wrong with Mommy?" Scully pulled away from Mulder's embrace and walked quickly out the door, wiping her tears the whole way.

"Willie... I'm going to find out what's wrong with Mommy. Okay? I'll be right back."

"Okay Daddy... tell Mommy I don't like when she cries. It makes me sad."

"I'll tell her, son." Mulder walked out the door to see Skinner walking up to him. "Have you seen," but before Mulder could finish asking if Skinner had seen Scully. Skinner answered.

"She went out the door. What's going on? Why was she..."

"That's what I'm trying to figure out. I have an idea though." Mulder ran out of the hospital doors after Scully and found her getting in the car.

"I couldn't be like that in front of Will, Mulder. I had to leave." Her breathing was uneven and it was heavy too.

"Come here," Mulder outstretched his arms to Scully and helped her climb into his lap. "What happened? What did she say?"

"She said that she was going to rip us apart to get William back. I told her that wasn't going to happen, and then she started...s-saying I didn't love William. She said that I gave up on him. That I just gave him away because I didn't care. A...and I know it's stupid of me to listen to her words. But those are the same things I've been thinking in my mind for the past six years, Mulder."

"I still don't know why you think them," he murmured against her hair. "You're the most amazing mother. I saw it when I first saw you hold William, the way you cradled him in your arms... the way you looked at him. I see it in you now. You have so much love and compassion for our son. More compassion than people only hope to have, and more love than some people can ever hope to express. William sees that you're the most amazing mother too." She looked up at him, his green eyes smoldering. "The most beautiful one too." She buried her head into his chest.

"I didn't want William seeing me like that Mulder."

"He told me to tell you not to cry. He doesn't like it... I guess he takes after me, Scully. I don't like when you cry either," He pulled her face away from his chest and began wiping the tears with his thumbs.

"Ready to go back in?" Scully gave a slight nod, and Mulder shot her an encouraging smile.

--  
"Mr. and Mrs. Mulder," Doctor Carter greeted them. He was at the foot of William's bed. "You're welcome to take William home now. I see no need for him to be here any longer. His temperature has been at a stable 98.6 for the past few hours. All you really need to do now is keep a close eye on him. Oh, and playing outside would not be a good idea at all. But, you know all of this Dr. Mulder." Scully smiled at the doctor as he left the room. She sat down at William's side.

"Feeling completely better?" She let her hand rest on William's forehead.

"Yes, but Mommy why were you sad before?" Scully looked at Mulder before answering. A tiny white lie won't hurt. Of course, it wasn't completely a lie.

"Well, Willie... Mommy was nervous about you. I was sad that you were sick."

"I'm all better now, Mommy. You don't have to be sad anymore! Right Daddy?"

"That's exactly right Will." Mulder kissed Scully cheek before picking William up under his arms and setting him flat on the ground. "Time to home, William."

"Am I going to school today with Ashlynn?"

"No baby, it's already 9 in the morning. Ashlynn's already in school."

"That's not fair. I won't have anyone to play with."

"Do you like Ashlynn, William?" Scully sounded hopeful. She raised an eyebrow as William slid on one of his shoes.

"No! She's a girl!" Scully and Mulder both laughed.

"Come on, Will." Mulder picked him up, hoisted him on his hip, and carried him to the car.

"When's mommy coming home, Daddy?"

"Mommy's at work, bud. She doesn't go home til 6 on Mondays. That's in about...20 minutes." Mulder answered from the couch, as William stared out the bay window in the kitchen, watching Ashlynn play on her swings.

"Why can't I go outside?" William almost whined, and Mulder turned around to see the object of William's fixation.

"You got sick last night Will. You know why you have to stay inside." William made a noise of irritation. "You wanna play with Ashlynn, huh?"

"But, I'm not even sick anymore, Daddy!"

"Why don't I just call Ashlynn to come over?"

"Okay..." William grumbled.

"What's wrong?" Mulder said as he pulled his blackberry from his pocket. "I thought you wanted to play with Ashlynn? You've been staring at her for almost ten minutes." Mulder teased, even though he knew it hadn't been that long. William got bored with the TV only minutes ago.

"Was not. And it's because I wanna go outside."

"Do you not want me to call Mrs. White?" William looked back outside at Ashlynn. He half smiled. "I'll call her."

"Hey, Ashlynn, sweetie. Let me take your coat." Mulder said as the six year old, blonde in long braided pigtails came inside.

"Thank you, Mr. Mulder." She smiled back.

"Wanna go play in my room?" William said, while taking off up the steps, Ashlynn began following.

"Wait... Ashlynn, no shoes," Mulder shrugged, "Mrs. Mulder's idea, not mine."

"Why weren't you in school today?" Ashlynn politely asked William, while sitting on his bed, unraveling one of her long pigtails. "It was your first day."

"I was sick last night. I woke up from a bad dream, and then had to go to the hospital."

"Because of your bad dream?" Her eyes were wide. William was on the floor below her playing with his lego set.

"No. I was sick."

"What did you dream?"

"It was too scary."

"Come on tell me," she begged.

"No, you're a girl. Girl's get scared easily."

"I do not!"

"I bet you any money you do!"

--  
"Mulder, I'm home." Scully called from the threshold once she sat her keys down and hung her jacket up,

"Yo Scullayyyyy!"

'Yo Scullayyyyy?' She asked herself as she walked into the living room.

Just as she suspected, Scully found Mulder sitting on the couch, eyes practically glued onto the TV watching football. She smiled a half smile at the site, knowing she had already guessed it. Still, she was disappointed not to have gotten a greeting from him like she usually did.

She wrapped her arms around him and pressed a soft kiss onto his neck. He made a small noise of enjoyment as she continued. He couldn't resist, and the Pittsburgh Steelers and New Orleans Saints could wait. Mulder turned his head so his lips could find hers. He gave her a soft kiss and smiled.

"Hello," he still didn't pull away; his lips were still on hers, both smiling. "Come here," Mulder turned a bit to place his hands on Scully's hips and pull her over the back of the couch.

"Where's Will?" She whispered, concern for her little boy, concern and worry clear in both words. She was straddling his hips, hands firm on his shoulders.

"He's upstairs with Ashlynn." He still saw the worry in her stare as it moved to the steps. "He's fine don't worry."

"Are you sure? Maybe I should-" She began to pull away but Mulder caught her by the hips

"He's fine Scully." She sighed. "I'm sure. He was fine all day." She pressed her forehead to his. Immediately, he knew that she was exhausted from worrying all day. "Were you worrying all day?" She nodded.

"Mulder I just don't know how his fever could have been brought on so quickly. When we said goodnight to him he was fine. It couldn't have been his dream."

"I think it was." She pulled her head away; she had a disbelieving look.

"What? Let me guess... it was an X-file. An X-file where the person who is having that dream Is actually dreaming the truth?" Mulder had nothing to say. She pressed her forehead to his again. "I'm sorry," her voice was sincere.

"Don't be," Mulder held her face so she couldn't pull away again. He kissed her lips, soft but fervent at the same time. Scully sniffed after pulling away. "You okay?" She nodded again, keeping her head in place. He opened his mouth and allowed her tongue to explore his while he did the same to her. The sensation was nice, and for a while, that's what Scully thought she needed. Mulder was on top of her, once her back hit the couch.

"Wait," She pushed him away gently, placing her hands on his chest.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing... I'm going to," She continued pushing on him until he was completely off of her. She got up, "check on William."

"Scully, he's fine," Mulder called out after her, but her tiny legs moved so quickly that she was already on the steps.

She let out a deep breath and smoothed her hair before opening the door to her son's room. William was facing Ashlynn on the floor playing pick-up sticks.

"Mommy!" William stood up quickly; Scully knelt down as he came charging at her.

"Willie, sweetie," Scully smiled against William's neck. "How are you feeling?" She had her arms on his shoulders and forced him back a little to get a good look at him. "You don't have a temperature," She said with a wide smile, after removing her hand from his forehead.

"I feel fine, Mommy. I don't know why Daddy won't let me go outside!"

"Yes you do, William." Scully said firmly. "You heard what the doctor said. You were right there. You know Mommy's a doctor too. I feel the same way." Her hand slid against his cheek. "I'm glad you're okay, baby," Scully kissed his cheek before standing back up. "Well, hello Ashlynn."

"Hi, Mrs. Mulder." Ashlynn said with a sweet smile.

"How are you sweet heart?"

"I'm good. How are," but before she could finish William interrupted.

"You better not have cheated."

"Willie, that wasn't nice." Scully raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry, Ashlynn."

"That's okay Will, and no I didn't cheat."

After Scully had left the two kids, they were playing their game once again.

"You and your mom look like you have a really nice relationship," Ashlynn commented, while removing a bubblegum pink stick with ease. She was winning.

"Yep," William struggled with his orange one.

"I wish my mommy was like that." William's head shot up.

"What do you mean?" Ashlynn shrugged her shoulders.

--  
Later on, Ashlynn left, and Scully began cooking dinner. William sat in one of the bar stools at the island drawing on computer paper with markers. There was an aroma of oregano, basil, and tomato sauce that filled the room. Scully had been acting distant towards Mulder the whole time she was home. It was like there was some kind of wall in between them.

"Will," Mulder whispered into William's ear. Scully, who was at the stove, couldn't hear them. "Go give mommy a hug and tell her you love her." William hopped down from the stool and away from his drawing to hug his mommy's waist. Scully let out a gasp; she was surprised. She spun around and picked her son up into her arms.

"I love you, Mommy." Scully cupped his cheek with one hand and smiled.

"Did daddy tell you to say that?" They both looked at Mulder who had put on a serious face and shook his head. Scully was raising an eyebrow. Mulder couldn't hold his serious face any longer; he walked right to his wife and son smirking. He put his arm around them both and kissed both of their heads.

"Mommy, are you and Daddy fighting?" William asked once Scully set him on the counter so she could stir her noodles. Mulder was reading the paper at the kitchen table, but looked up as soon as he heard that. Scully instantly stopped stirring and looked at William.

"No, baby, why would you ask that?"

"I didn't see you kiss today when you got home from work. And you two always kiss." Mulder came up behind Scully and wrapped his arms around her waist. He kissed her cheek. "No... No. I mean on the mouth, Daddy!" Mulder spun her around in his arms and pressed his lips to hers. William giggled.

"Come here, Will." Mulder picked him up and Scully and Mulder both pressed kisses to their son's face.

"Wait!" Will struggled to get out of his daddy's arms. He ran to where he was drawing before and got out his red marker and scribbled a bit. "Look!" William held up a picture of their small family in front of the house. Mulder was very tall, and Scully was about one and a half heads smaller. William was in between them; obviously, he was the smallest. Above the picture he drew a rainbow, and in the rainbow it said, "I love Mommy and Daddy."

"That is the best picture I ever saw, Will!" Scully picked William up and gave him a huge kiss on the cheek. "You are quite the artist."

"Here, Will," Mulder took the paper from his son's hands. "Let's put that on the fridge."

--  
**Hampton Inn**  
"I am getting the best damn lawyer available, Tom!" Anna said, throwing her jacket down onto the bed and pulling her phone out of her pocket. She searched through the phonebook on the nightstand. Tom gave her a questionable look. She rolled her eyes. "Tom, we are getting our son back! Those Mulder's can kiss my ass!"

"Anna, just calm down." He placed his hands on her shoulders. She shrugged him off.

"Just... just get me a beer from the fridge, Tom." She said while dialing. "Please."

After dinner Mulder and Scully put William down to bed, and then got to sleep themselves. Scully was curled up on the bed far away from Mulder.

"Scully?" Mulder asked in the darkness.

"Hmm?"

"Why did William ask you if we were fighting?"

"Oh... I don't know Mulder. He's just a boy."

"Do you think he had a point though?" She turned towards him in the bed.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean... look how far you are away from me." He showed the distance with his hand. She moved closer.

"I'm sorry, Mulder." She apologized and found his hand underneath the covers. She gave it a squeeze. "I guess... I'm just worried... about everything." Mulder pulled her closer so that her head was resting on his chest.

"Don't worry. I love you, and I don't want you to worry." She kissed every part of her that his lips could reach without moving her from his chest. She let out a heavy breath.

"Thank you, Mulder," she snuggled into him, closing her eyes. "And I love you too."

--

**Please Review! Yes, the relationship drama will continue throughout the next chapters... but there will be a big make up between them... which will be very enjoyable (:  
-A.**


	5. Maggie

**Thanks for the reviews guys! I'm gonna make this A/n short. Here's your next chapter... (oh, and thanks Brittney!)**

Chapter 5: Maggie.

"William," Scully, still clad in her silky pajamas, walked into her son's bedroom. She caressed his cheek, as she whispered his name. "William," she said a bit louder. His eyes began to flicker open, he smiled. Birds could be heard singing outside.

"Hi Mommy," he said, drowsily.

"Hi," she laughed a little bit. "Why don't you go take a shower, so Mommy can take you and Ashlynn to school?" He rolled over in his bed. "Come on, sweetie."

"Okay," he grumbled and stood up out of bed.

"How did you sleep, sweetie?" She held his hand as they walked off to the shower together.

Scully began running William some warm water, while he tugged off his clothes, revealing faded bruises on his upper torso. She frowned at the sight of him. How could someone hurt someone so innocent?

After Scully pulled out clothes for William, sat them on the bed, and got ready herself, she began making coffee downstairs. Mulder, in just pajama pants, wrapped his arms around her. She didn't hear him at first. So the sudden contact was a surprise; she jumped.

"Did I scare you?" Mulder whispered against her skin, pressing kisses to her neck.

"Well," she said, spinning around in his arms, "You are after all, Spooky Mulder." She nuzzled her face into his chest. He could tell there was something wrong, the reason she was so jumpy.

"How is he? I didn't hear him at all last night."

'How is it that he always knows?' Scully asked herself as she looked up into Mulder's caring eyes. "He told me slept fine." Scully sighed.

"Something's bothering you." She looked away from his eyes. "Talk to me," while keeping a hand around her waist, he lifted her chin up to look at him.

"How could they... hurt him like that? I saw him all bruised." She whispered, pressing her face back into his chest.

"I don't know," he said into her red hair, inhaling the fragrant shampoo she used. "But it won't happen again. Scully... you know we have to discuss this in more detail... the whole, super soldier ordeal." Scully winced at the word.

"I know Mulder... but not today. No, today is gonna be perfect. I'm having my Mom come over to see William." Mulder and Scully looked down to see William, in khaki pants and a while polo, latching onto their legs, trying to get in on the hug.

"Hey, Will! Are you ready for school?" Mulder said with a smile to his son. William smiled back and nodded.

"Yep!"

"No, you're not, baby." Scully said, picking William up into her arms. "Mommy's gonna blow dry your hair. You can't go out in the cold like that."

Scully took William into hers and Mulder's bathroom where she pulled out the hair dryer. William instantly froze in shock, scared.

"William, sit on the toilet, please." Scully said, and then turned to see that her son was frightened.

"What's the matter, William?" Mulder lifted William and placed him on the closed seat, like Scully had asked.

"No! Mommy!" William screamed as she flicked the switch on the hair appliance, causing the loud roar. She flicked it off to calm the scared child.

"William, I have to get your hair dry."

"It's gonna hurt!" He screamed. "I don't want it."

"William, it's not gonna hurt. We wouldn't ever hurt you. We love you," Mulder knelt down next to his son, understanding what he meant, and why he was scared. He held on to William's hands.

"Look," Scully said, flipping on the switch and letting the warm air blow in Mulder's direction. The air blew Mulder's hair into a mess, and William swallowed hard, making the decision to let his mommy blow dry his hair. "Daddy likes the blow dryer." It pained Scully to see William so frightened over a generally harmless object.

"Say bye-bye to Daddy, William." Scully said to her son, as she stood at the door with her briefcase for work. Ashlynn was right beside her, ready to leave.

"Bye Daddy," William jumped into his father's embrace.

"Bye, Willie. You be good," He smiled as they all walked out the door into the cold.

--  
While Scully and William were both gone for the day, Mulder did some research. He dug up old files that he had in the bottom of an old dusty box. Those five files were five of the eight that Scully had kept in her closet at her apartment for years. Scully made him promise not to ever look at them again, unless it was really necessary. If he understood it correctly, by looking at William's drawings, he had to pull out stuff on both the super soldiers and the bounty hunters.

As he went through all the information he had on them, Mulder became frustrated.

"How the hell am I supposed to know anything about them now?" He said aloud, slamming a folder on his desk. "This is all six years old!"

It was true. They must be more advanced now. There must be more threats to their son and them. They needed more help. They couldn't possibly do it alone. They needed Special Agent John Doggett and Special Agent Monica Reyes, their old friends.

Mulder sat down on his desk and pulled his phone out of his pocket. He found Skinner's number and hit call.

"Hey, Skinner... it's me Mulder."

"What can I do for you, Mulder?"

"I'm gonna need to know how to contact Agent Dogget and Agent Reyes. It's about William."

"Alright, I'll get you that information and I'll text it to you."

Mulder nearly fell asleep on his couch waiting. It was now, 3:01. He spent the vast majority of his day finding information. He was lying there, drowsily, just realizing that William would be home soon, and then, a small noise at his side interrupted him.

_"John Cell- 202 555 8057  
Monica Cell- 202 555 5869  
Home- 202 555 4259"_

Mulder called, Doggett first, not receiving an answer. Then, he decided to call Monica. This time he got an answer.

"Hello," He heard her familiar voice at the other end.

"Hi, Monica?"

"Yes, this is she. Who's this?"

"Fox Mulder." She heard a gasp.

"Wow. Hi, Mulder. How are you? I haven't spoken with you in... 6 years. Is everything okay? How's Dana?"

"I'm fine. Scully's fine. Everything's f... well that's why I'm calling." Reyes was waiting for Mulder to continue. "Is there a way that you and Dogget could come over to mine and Scully's house? It's important. I tried getting a hold of him. Would you be able to get..."

"Oh, sure. What time would you like us to stop down?" Mulder got up and walked to the front door, opening it, waiting for William.

"Well, today isn't good. Scully's having her mother over. But, tomorrow I'm sure would be just fine. How's after six for you?"

"After six would be fine for me."

"Of course we'll have to make sure it's okay for Doggett and..."

"Oh, it would be fine for him."

"Just to make sure..."

"It's fine."

"You two still talk?" A small giggle could be heard on the other line.

"Yes, we still do." It was clear Monica was smiling.

"Okay, I'm gonna text you our address. It's in Richmond."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow, Mulder. Bye."

"Bye, Monica."

A smile instantly formed on Mulder's face as he saw a small child running up to the door, a child that could be easily mistaken for a younger version of him, but with blue eyes.

"Daddy," William yelped as he jumped into his Daddy's arms and allowed him to carry him away from the door.

"Hey, Willie!" Mulder helped his son with his back pack and sat it down. "How was your first day?"

"It was good!"

"Well, come on, tell me about it!" Mulder walked off into the kitchen, and sat down at one of the chairs at the island. William reached for his back pack and unzipped it, pulling out pictures he drew. He ran into the room holding up his pictures. Little William was so excited about telling Mulder about his day at school. Unfortunately he didn't get asked about his day that often in Wyoming.

"  
"I drew pictures, Daddy!" He hopped up onto the stole next to his father and held up the pictures.

They were normal pictures that any six year-old would draw. They were completely normal. He drew himself standing next to a puppy, twice. He drew his parents and him, again. And then he drew a hill, a few trees, and a sun.

"Is that a puppy, Will?" Mulder asked with a grin. William nodded. "Do you want a puppy, Will?" William nodded fast again. "Maybe we can ask Mommy." William was beaming. "But I think... you are just quite the artist. How about I put these on the fridge?" Mulder took his son's drawings and stuck them to the fridge with magnets that were already sticking there.

"Am I allowed to go outside today, Daddy?" William looked hopeful.

"I don't see why not. But," Mulder just remembered. "We're having a very special dinner guest come over, Will." William looked confused. "I'm sure Mommy will tell you." Mulder smiled a half smile.

--  
Scully came home at her usual time, five o'clock. The usual sound of the TV couldn't even be heard. So, as Scully took of her jacket and her heels, she wondered where her son and husband could be. Then, something suddenly hit her side. It was Mulder, tackling her, scooping her up in his arms. She gasped at the sudden contact.

"Jesus, Mulder." She breathed, heavily. Mulder laughed.

"'No hello, Mulder. How are you?'" He mocked being hurt. He carried her into the living room and she sat comfortably on his lap, her arms around his neck. "How was work?" Scully now adjusted herself so that she could cuddle into his embrace.

"It was... tiring. Where's William?" She sounded less worried than she did the day before, but the worry was still there. Mulder could hear it in her voice.

"He's fine. He's outside with Ashlynn right now." Scully breathed a sigh of relief. "Do you want to nap?" Mulder took in the fact that her face was nuzzled into his chest, eyes closed.

"Yes." She smiled at the thought of just relaxing. "But I can't. I have to start dinner. I have to call my mother to come over." Reality hit her, and she sat up, no longer against his chest. "I'm gonna go get our little one." She smiled as she spoke those words. She was definitely enjoying how she eased into mommy-hood. But as she tried getting up Mulder pressed a slow and passionate kiss to her lips, entangling his fingers in her hair. She pulled away with a smile, and placed a peck on his cheek before getting up. She pulled out her cell as she, headed to the door to put her jacket and shoes back on.

"William," Scully walked outside, and into the neighbor's back yard, finding the two kids sitting on the play set. William waved enthusiastically, jumped off, and ran into his mother's arms. "Baby, can you tell Ashlynn goodbye? You have to get ready for dinner. It's going to be a very special dinner." William pulled his body away from his mother's and quickly called over to Ashlynn, who was ten feet away, that he had to get ready for dinner. After saying goodbye, the mother and son, walked back off to the house, hand in hand.

--

William came back downstairs, wearing the clothes Scully had picked out for him, a nice pair of jeans, and a black sweater. Mulder followed him down the steps, clad in a nice pair of jeans and a black sweater as well. Scully smiled from the stove, where she was cooking, at the sight of her two men, looking like twins.

"So, William... are you going to tell me about school?"

"Mommy, it was so fun!" William jumped at the chance to tell about his school day. He was never used to this kind of attention, this kind of love. "First, I thought it was gonna be really scary. But then, it was really fun. I have a spelling list... and math problems for homework."

"Wait... did you finish your homework before you went outside." William, suddenly nervous, shook his head.

"Mulder, why didn't you ask him if he had homework before you let him go play?" She sighed. "William, it's okay..." She saw the expression on her son's face. "I'm not mad at you or Daddy. You just need to get your work done before you play, okay?" William slowly nodded. "Why don't you go start your homework, now... right here," She pointed to the stool he was sitting in at the island. "And while you do that you can tell me about your day, okay baby?"

When William ran off to get his back pack, Scully exchanged a glance with Mulder, and she shook her head slowly. He knew in an instant what she was thinking. She hated that look that would creep its way onto William's face, the look of being frightened.

While William was gone for that moment, Mulder took the opportunity to tell Scully what he had been doing while at home. He walked up from behind her, where she was stirring corn. He wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder.

"I called... Monica. She and John are coming over tomorrow for dinner. Is that okay?" He waited for a response but didn't get one. "Scully, we have to talk about this sooner or later. We have to do it now. We might regret it if we don't." She nodded slowly, agreeing. He pressed a kiss on the corner of her lips.

"I just don't want them to get involved in this all over again. They don't deserve it, Mulder."

"We'll give them the choice if they want to help us or not. But, they've been involved since their first day on the X-files. You know that."

Just as William came back in with his back pack, the door bell rang.

"Can I get it?" William asked his parents. Scully and Mulder shared a glance. After 15 years, they still had that unspoken relationship, where they didn't need to speak to understand what the other was thinking.

"Yeah... William. Go ahead." Scully said, smiling ear to ear.

William ran in his socks to the door and opened it to see a woman in her late sixties to early seventies standing at the door. She had on a black wool coat, over a pink sweater, and some black pants on. She smiled at the child, slightly confused. William smiled back.

"Mommy, Daddy!" He yelled in the direction of the kitchen.

_'Mommy?! Daddy?!'_ Mrs. Scully said to herself, even more confused. Was she at the wrong house?

Then she saw her daughter and son in law coming towards the door. Her mouth fell open.

"Come here, Will." Mulder picked his son up into his arms. The resemblance was uncanny.

"Is this our special dinner guest, Daddy?" Mulder nodded with a smile to his son.

"Dana?" Mrs. Scully said, stepping into the house.

"Hi, Mom," Scully hugged her mother and pressed a kiss onto her cheek.

"Dana... Fox?" Mulder wrapped his free hand around his mother-in-law and kissed her cheek too. William was watching the scene with curious eyes.

"Mom, this is... William. We have him back." Her eyes went wide.

"Oh my god," Her tears rimmed the corners over her blue eyes, and then splashed their way onto her cheeks.

"William... why don't you introduce yourself to your grandma," Mulder said into his son's ear.

"Hello, my name is William. I'm six years old." William was just as nervous as any six year old would be when meeting a stranger.

"Hi," was the only word she managed to choke out.

"William, you probably don't remember... since you were only an infant, but this is your grandma. She used to babysit you when you were just a little baby." Mrs. Scully was just at a loss for words as the tears fell. "Mom, come here." Scully held her mom in her arms as they walked off into the living room.

"Daddy, why is grandma crying? Isn't she happy to see me?" William was sad, as he and his father stood in the kitchen. Mulder was finishing the cooking. Luckily, his being out of the job enabled him to watch the food network. Mulder looked down into his sons eyes, seeing a familiar sadness.

"Will, your grandma is so very happy to see you." He reassured, putting a hand on his shoulder. "But, the thing is... she's just very surprised... and her tears are because she is happy. You remember how Mommy and I cried when we saw you," William nodded, understanding. "She's happy too. Why don't you go give her a hug?"

William silently walked over to where his mother sat with his grandma. He wrapped his arms around her, and she pulled him up onto lap. They sat there in silence, until Mrs. Scully pulled back to look at her grandson.

"You look so much like your father," she commented, her hand cupping William's cheek. "But you have you mother's eyes and her fair complexion." William smiled, showing that he had two missing teeth. "And you have your father's smile. How much did the tooth fairy give you those two teeth you're missing?" Scully left out the abusive parents part.

"I never got no money for my teeth."

"What? No money from the tooth fairy?" William shook his head. "Well, I think," She reached into her pocket, pulling out a ten dollar bill. "I have some money for both of them." William's eyes lit up as she placed the ten dollar bill in his hand.

"Mom," Scully shot her mother a warning look.

"Dana, I am after all, the grandma," She pulled her grandson into another hug.

"Mommy, Daddy, I think I like grandma already," The three adults laughed.

"Hey, dinner's ready. Are we eating in the dining room tonight, Scully?"

The room went silent as the ringtone for Skinner sounded at the dinner table.

"I believe in miracles where you from  
You sexy thing (you sexy thing-you)  
I believe in miracles since you came along  
You sexy thing."

"Mulder... you better answer that. If that's Skinner, I bet it's important."

"Sorry," Mulder apologized and left the dining room to answer his phone. "Hey, Skin man what's up?" Skinner ignored the fact that Mulder used his old college nickname. He cut right to the chase.

"Mulder, I have some news... regarding William and his adoptive parents." Mulder waited for him to continue. "They've hired a lawyer, Mulder. They're going to try to get William back. They have a chance to get him back too. They're planning on going to counseling. They have a chance." Mulder still didn't speak. He was at a loss for words. All he could think about was the happiness his small family now shared. He could only think of Scully, and what it would do to her; and William, and what it would do to him. "Mulder, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm here. Is there anything we can do?"

"Well, you're gonna need yourself a damn good lawyer. Don't even ask me this time. I'm gonna be one of your witnesses, addressing why you deserve to have your son back. You'll need to get adoption papers. You'll have to adopt William after this if they lose."

"When they lose," Mulder corrected. "I promised Scully that we would never lose him again, and we're not." Mulder spoke in hushed tones so that Scully wouldn't over hear.

"I understand that. There's supposed to be a hearing in two weeks. The date isn't scheduled, but there is one. Tell her."

"Okay, sir. Goodbye," Mulder hung up the phone and returned to his dinner.

"What was that all about?" Scully asked with a smile, as Mulder returned, sitting down next to her, kissing her cheek with all the care in the world.

"He just wanted to go over something about the M-E-E-T-I-N-G-S." He spelt out the word so William couldn't understand.

After dinner, Scully and Mulder both cleaned up. Mrs. Scully had asked for some alone time with her grandson, and Scully and Mulder gladly gave it to her. They both went upstairs, into the bedroom where they were about to change for bed.

Mulder began running water for his shower as Scully brushed her teeth. He pulled off his sweater, revealing his toned muscles before her. She spit out her toothpaste and turned to him.

"You're hiding something from me, Mulder." He looked at her confused. "I know you are."

"I'm not hiding anything, Scully. You have to relax." He lied, placing his hands on her lower back and pulling her closer. He tugged off her beige v-neck sweater and pressed his body against hers. His lips found hers in a passionate kiss. The kiss worried her. It wasn't normal, it was rushed. He unbuttoned her jeans. "Take a shower with me." He whispered against her neck. "I want you to relax." Scully wanted to object; she wanted to ask him again what he was hiding. But, she gave in, and pulled off her jeans and everything else, as she went into the standing shower with Mulder.

Scully loved her thirty minutes with Mulder in the shower. He loved is just as much as she did, but he had a lot on his mind. After the thirty minutes, they both came out of the shower, clean, yet exhausted.

Mulder wrapped a towel around Scully's body and then his own. She wrapped her head in a towel, and they both stepped out of the bathroom to find a waiting William on their bed.

"Mommy... I thought shower time was alone time. Why did you go with Daddy?" Scully bit her lip and look to Mulder for help to answer her son's innocent question.

"Uhm..." She started.

"Mommy needed help washing her back." Mulder quickly answered, winking to his wife. She sighed in relief.

"William, where's grandma?"

"She's downstairs. She asked me to come and get you. She said she's gonna go. She's really tired."

"Go downstairs, and tell her we'll be right down, okay?" William ran off and left his parents to change.

Once William was ready for bed, Mulder came in first to say goodnight. He looked so innocent. William laid in his bed, as Mulder sat on the edge. How could someone even attempt to harm him? He didn't want to lose his son to those same people, putting him at risk for someone inhuman harming him as well.

"Good night, William." He said after a few minutes of talking. He kissed his sons forehead and began walking out.

"Daddy," William stopped his dad at the door. "We didn't ask Mommy about the puppy." Mulder realized that if they got a puppy that would be another thing William might be pulled away from, something else to break his heart.

"Tomorrow, Will," Mulder weakly smiled as he saw Scully coming from their bedroom. She was holding a large blue photo album. It was William's baby album, an album that was heartbreakingly incomplete.

After a good ten minutes, Mulder decided to peep his head into the slightly ajar door, to see what was going on.

"Mommy, when I was a baby... how much did you love me." William was lying in bed with his mother right next to him. He was playing with her fingers.

"I loved you with everything I had. You meant more to me that my life, baby."

"When did you know?" Tears were falling down Mulder's cheeks as he watched mother and son bond.

"When did I know what, Will?"

"When did you know that you loved me?" Scully smiled. William was now tracing ever contour of his mother's face with his index finger as they laid in the dark, with nothing but the glow of the little alien night light.

"I knew I loved you from the moment I learned that you were inside of me. That love only grew more and more each day."

"I loved you from inside of you. I loved you and Daddy both." Scully fought the tears successfully, as she remembered how painful it was to carry William without Mulder around. "Was I a quiet baby?" William began stroking his mother's hair.

"You were the most well behaved baby ever. You were always quiet, unless you wanted to be held."

"What did Daddy think when he first saw me?"

"Oh, William... he was so in love." William was grinning. Then his mouth formed a perfect little circle, a yawn.

"When you first saw me, what were you thinking?" Scully thought for a moment before answering. She didn't want to respond with a, "Don't you take my baby!" She thought of that first moment in the hospital when she held William.

"I thought, 'Wow, is he really mine and Mulder's? He's beautiful.' I was so in love with you at that moment William. You were my perfect little miracle baby."

"Why was I your perfect little miracle baby?"

"Well..." She thought about how to tell a six year old. "My doctor's told me that I couldn't have a baby. So... Daddy and I tried and tried for one. It wasn't working. Then... I found out that I was pregnant with you." 'It was the happiest moment of my life, not to mention saddest... considering Mulder's whereabouts.'

Mulder walked back to bed, where he continued his sobbing, letting it all out into his pillow.

_I can't rip away Scully's chance at motherhood all over again. It would be just too heartbreaking to watch. It would completely deteriorate her. It would claw at her soul and heart. She's the perfect mother._

And then there's William... our perfect little miracle, being ripped away again, only this time with more heartbreak for him to suffer. Losing his parents to be left with ones he can't stand. He took to Scully and I so quickly. How could we be ripped away from him? The whole thing would traumatize him. And, then... would he really be safe? The whole thought was unfathomable.

**Please review! You guys rock my scully socks.**

I went bowling today... and I made my bowling name Dana Scully. I would.  
and... yeah, I saw mirrors. scared my pants off. anna at the end looked like a monkey!! Xf2 is 101310131013 times better!

-A.


	6. Doggetts

**This took me a while... I know. :( Sorry.  
My stuff got deleted... so I had to write the doggett reyes part all over again... which sucked.  
But here it is!**

Chapter...? lol

The next morning was chilly in Mulder and Scully's bedroom. Scully was cuddled into his arms, her face pressed against his skin. They were awoken by the shaking of their bed. William was jumping up and down.

"Mommy! Daddy! Wake up! Wake up!" He jumped up and down, yelling. Now this was something Mulder could have imagined to happen on Christmas morning, not on a school day.

"What, What?" Scully got up immediately, worried. She pulled William down to sit on the bed. "William are you alright?" The small boy, clad in his blue pajamas, gave her a quizzical look.

"Yes, Mommy. I'm fine?" Mulder was watching the two, not speaking. He knew William was fine. He knew that his son loved school. There was nothing wrong. "I just wanted to wake you and Daddy up. It was 'upposed to be a surprise." He pouted. "Am I in trouble?" Scully let out a breath she had been holding in.

"Of course not, baby." She pulled her son into her arms and kissed his forehead.

"Mommy, I think Daddy is still sleeping." William crawled closer to his father, and opened his closed eyelids, examining his eyes. Without warning, Mulder grabbed William and flipped him onto the bed, pinning him down. A few days ago, when Mulder first did this to William, he screamed at the top of his lungs. But, now it was different. "Daddy!" William giggled, as he flailed his arms around trying to break loose. Scully sat beside them, watching father and son bond.

"Okay, Okay." Scully laughed and then returned to serious mommy-mode. "It's time to get ready for school, William. And I have to get ready for work."

"Awe come on, Mommy." William whined as Mulder let him up.

"Yeah, come on, Mommy." Mulder mock pouted. Scully raised an eyebrow.

"Let's get you ready William," Scully had her feet on the floor and held her arms out for William who climbed into her embrace. She carried him to his room.

--  
William ran to his mother's and Ashlynn's side at the door. He just got done saying goodbye to his father, and was all ready for his second day of first grade.

"Bye, Mulder." Scully called from the door.

"Bye," A voice from the kitchen called back.

Scully reached for the door knob, but before turning it, she spun back around. The two children gave her a confused look.

"I have to go kiss Daddy goodbye, Will. Hold on one second." Scully walked into the kitchen, her heels clicking on the hard wood floor of the foyer, padding on the carpeted living room, and then clicking on the tiled floor. "Mulder..."

"I thought you left." He said looking up from the paper he read from his seat at the island.

"Well... I am. But, is there something wrong?"

'Did Skinner tell her?' He asked himself in his mind. "Why would something be wrong?"

"I don't know," She shook her head. "Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but I feel like you're acting different. You barely spoke to me and to William during breakfast." Mulder have smiled and took Scully into his arms.

"I'm sorry." He had to think of something quick, and the only thing he could think of was telling Scully about John and Monica. He pressed a kiss onto her neck, buying himself some time. "We're actually having John and Monica over for dinner tonight. It was supposed to be a surprise, but that's what's on my mind. That's why I've been quiet. I'm sorry." Mulder had to lie; he wasn't ready to tell her quite yet. Scully sighed. She hated coming back into the life before, being pulled into searching for the truth all over again. But what was she going to do? Her little boy's life was at stake.

"I haven't seen them in forever." She pulled back, smiling. She kissed Mulder softly on the lips before turning around to leave. "I love you."

"I love you too."

--  
Mulder wondered into the room in his house which was supposed to be his office. Ever since they got that phone call from Skinner, he didn't have any time to unpack his belongings. However, his desk was in the correct spot, as was a swivel hair, behind the desk. Four boxes were stacked on top of each other. And lying on his desk was a rolled up poster. He smirked at it, and walked towards it. When he unraveled it, he found four thumb tacks. He tacked it onto the wall behind the desk. "I Want To Believe." The phrase which overruled his old life, Scully's too.

Mulder stared thoughtfully at the photo he had pulled out from one of the smaller boxes. It was in a white frame outlined in baby blue sparkles. It was the picture that he and Scully had taken in the hospital in Georgia, many hours after William was born, and it was the picture he took with him when he was hiding. He smiled, remembering how William would coo in his arms. Mulder only had to hum a random tune to get his to sleep. He would have to show that to William one of these days. He sat that one on his desk and then grabbed a different frame in the box. This one was in a silver frame. Scully had sent it to him via email. At first it was placed in a cheap wooden frame, but when he and Scully were reunited, she bought him a silver frame to frame it. At first, it wasn't exactly something that they would be displaying. It hurt Scully every day, and she found that trying not to think about William helped. And not seeing pictures was even better. She found herself depressed until Mulder couldn't take it anymore. Once they set things straight, Scully bought him a frame for the picture. He then picked up two other frames in the box, their wedding picture and a picture from when they first started their relationship.

Mulder was asleep in his swivel chair at his desk when he heard a knock at the door. He checked his watch and saw that it was already 3:10. He rushed to the door and pulled it open to see William standing there, holding his book bag with one hand.

"Aw, hey Buddy, I'm sorry. I fell asleep." Mulder picked him up and carried him into the kitchen where he could fix him his snack.

"It's okay Daddy. We forgot to take my jacket off." William peeled off his jacket and held it.

"Just toss it onto the couch." Mulder said smiling. William was hesitant but did it anyways. "Now what did you do in school today?" Mulder asked as he spread the peanut butter on the bread.

"We learned stuff... and at recess we had to stay inside again." He frowned.

"Oh, well it's cold out. Soon it'll be snowing. How about that?"

"I love the snow! Mommy cuts the crust off." Mulder turned back around so he could cut the crust like mommy.

"Well, Will... we have some visitors coming over for dinner." Mulder handed him the sandwich and he gladly took a bite.

"Can we play outside?"

"Me and you?" William nodded. "Well, I guess we can do that. Do you know how to shoot a basketball?" William shook his head.

"Well, not into a big kid hoop."

"Finish up your sandwich, Will, and then meet me outside."

Mulder set up the hoop in seven minutes; just in time for when William came bouncing down the steps carrying Mulder's black jacket.

"Daddy," William said in his small voice holding out the jacket for his father. "You forgot your jacket. Mommy would be mad. You would get sick." William helped his father get his jacket on before he ran to the other side of the pavement to pick up the orange basketball.

"You ready to play, Will?"

"I don't know how, Daddy."

"Well come on I'll teach you. Can you pass me that ball?" William shoved the ball away from his chest so it could bounce on the ground to his father. "Now that was some pass. Do you know how to dribble?"

"William, come here," Mulder said from his office once the finished playing outside. William followed his father's voice.

"Daddy, was this room always here?" William asked looking around as he walked behind Mulder's desk and climbed into his lap.

"Yep, I just put everything in here today while you were in school." William pointed to the pictures that sat on the desk, Samantha, their small family in the hospital, William around 4 months, his and Scully's wedding picture, and a picture when he and Scully first started an intimate relationship. "That's actually what I wanted to show you." Mulder scooted in on the swivel chair and pulled all five pictures toward him.

"Who's that girl?"

"That's your Aunt Samantha, my sister."

"I have an Aunt Samantha?" William seemed excited, Mulder smiled. In that instant he knew that Samantha would have adored William almost as he did. "Where is she now?" Mulder frowned.

"She died." William was immediately sorry. Mulder decided that William didn't have to know the specifics of how or why she died. It would only confuse him and probably scare him too. "But she would've liked you. I know that." William smiled slightly. "And this," Mulder held up the picture of William, Scully, and Himself in the hospital. "Is a picture we took a few hours after you were born." William took the picture into his own small hands and smiled widely.

"You and Mommy look so happy." Mulder noticed how thoughtfully William looked at the picture. He ran a finger over his small bundled up body. "I was tiny!" Mulder chuckled and pressed a kiss to his son's forehead. "I never saw a picture of me this tiny."

"You were one beautiful miracle baby."

"Miracle?"

"Your mother and I will explain it one of these days." William let it go as he grabbed two other pictures sitting on the desk, both of his parents.

"I'm lucky to have you two as parents, you know."

"Why's that?"

"I don't think anyone ever loved each other as much as you and Mommy do."

About 10 minutes later William passed out on Mulder's chest on the couch. Minutes later Mulder was asleep too. Scully arrived home from work, took her shoes off, hung her jacket off, and walked into the living room like she did every day, except today she did not yell that she was home for Mulder. No, she even looked a little irritated. By her expression you could tell she was pissed. Although, with the scene before her, William sleeping on Mulder, she couldn't help but to soften up and smile.

"Daddy," William said in a tired voice, just waking up. Mulder opened his eyes and smiled when he saw William. "Mommy's home," William looked up to his mother with his big blue eyes, smiling. Scully offered back a weak smile.

"William baby, can you go in your room for mommy?"

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, sweetie." William hopped off of his Daddy and sadly walked up to his room.

"Come here," Mulder pulled Scully into him, sensing her anger.

"No!" She protested. She pushed him away but he only hugged her closer.

"Scully, what's wrong?" He asked, a little louder than he should with his kid sitting on the steps watching, without them noticing. Scully had finally pushed away from his embrace.

"Do you want to tell me what you're not telling me?" Her voice was cracking. He knew what she was talking about.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"That's crap Mulder. What are you not telling me?" Tear were falling from her eyes and it pained Mulder to see her cry. He didn't answer, he just stood in shock, feeling how painful it was to see her cry, knowing that he made her cry.

"Scully, it wasn't that easy..."

"What aren't you telling me?" She demanded again. "I got a text from Skinner. He asked me if you told me? Tell me what Mulder? See, I knew you were hiding something from me today. I knew that. I could tell by the way you were acting. You weren't the same. And you know how much I HATE when you do that! And-" Scully stopped to see what Mulder was now frowning at. William was whimpering by the steps holding the picture of the little family after he was born.

"Willie," Mulder said, walking toward his son. William looked up and took off up the steps. Just then, before Mulder and Scully could reach the steps, the doorbell rang.

"It's Reyes and Doggett," Mulder said as he stood on the first step. He could see them through the decorated glass on the front door.

"I'll let them in and then meet you upstairs." Scully walked towards the door. But Mulder stopped her once her hand was on the doorknob.

"Scully," He said, getting her attention. "I love you."

"I know Mulder. You don't have to tell me. I love you too." Mulder smiled, glad to hear those words, and he ran up the steps after his son.

"Hi, Dana!" Monica exclaimed once Scully opened the door. Reyes flung her arms around Scully.

"Hey!" Scully's voice was still cracky. Reyes pulled back to look at her friend. Her eyes were red and her cheeks were tear stained. "Did we come at a bad time?"

"We were just... arguing." She wiped her eyes and then they fell on Doggett.

"Doggett, is that?"

"This is our daughter, Alice." Alice was holding on to her father, wearing a grey jumped, black tights, and grey flats. Her jacket was big and white.

"Wow, she's beautiful." They heard loud crying upstairs. Reyes' and Doggett's eyes flew to Scully. "I'll be right back." Scully dashed up the steps quickly and she rushed over to Mulder's side.

"He's not opening the door."

"We probably scared him pretty bad. I have the spare key to the balcony door in the top drawer on my nightstand. Why don't you go around and get him?" Mulder nodded and hurried into the bedroom to find the key.

Once Mulder was on the balcony in the chilly air he walked to William's bedroom. William was sitting on the floor by the door, crying hysterically.

"William!" Mulder called out. William looked up; Mulder had his attention. "Can you please let me in?" William shook his head, still crying. "Please? Come on it's cold out here. I'm gonna get sick." He exaggerated his shiver as he shoved the key into his jean pocket. William sniffed, wiped his eyes, and walked to the door. He slowly unlocked the two double doors and pulled one open, letting his father in. Mulder lifted him up and pulled him into a hug.

"Daddy," He cried into his shoulder. "Why were you and Mommy fighting?" William struggled for coherent words as he hiccupped.

"Can we bring Mommy in here, Will? Please?" William slowly nodded.

"Okay but no fighting." Mulder opened the door and Scully smiled a genuine smile at her little boy.

"William, are you okay?" Scully asked softly, rubbing William's back. He was shaking from his tears. Mulder and William walked over to the bed and sat down. Scully sat down close to Mulder and William sat on his lap.

"Mommy why were you and Daddy f-fighting? Do you guys not love each other anymore?" Scully and Mulder both frowned. Scully took control of the situation.

"William, I love you and you're Daddy more than I loved anyone ever. I could never stop loving him." Scully smiled up at Mulder. She touched Mulder's cheek and then William's. William wasn't convinced.

"Why were you two fighting then?"  
"Willie," Mulder started. William turned to look at him. "Mommy and I weren't necessarily fighting. We were just arguing. Sometimes adults have arguments."

"Mommy cried," He pointed out, wiping one of her tears away with the back of his hand.

"Yes I did William."

"Why were you crying."

"I was a little sad."

"Did Daddy make you sad." She looked up at Mulder for his help. He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't know what to say either.

"Did you ever get upset when someone kept a secret from you?" Mulder helped.

"Uhm... Ashlynn whispered something to her friend Natalie and she didn't tell me or Austin. I guess I was pretty sad."

"Well," Scully continued. "Daddy was keeping a secret from me. But, he told me that he would tell me. So it's all better now. Did we scare you?" That was an obvious question. William nodded his little head. "We're sorry."

"Give Mommy a hug," Mulder whispered into William's ear, and Scully heard. William flung his arms around Scully's neck in a tight hug.

"I love you." She said into his shirt.

"I love you too Mommy."

"Go downstairs. We'll be right there." William crawled off of the bed and walked downstairs, now better. Scully through her arms around Mulder with such force that he fell backwards onto William's bed.

"Scully, we're on our son's bed!" Mulder arched his body up, pressing into Scully, to hint what he was talking about. She laughed before pressing her mouth onto his in a soft kiss. "I'm sorry," Mulder whispered once Scully pulled away. He rubbed his hand around her back.

"Can you please just tell me?" Scully was straddling his hips, rubbing her hands around his face.

"I will later. But not right now. William's downstairs with two new people." Scully suddenly remembered.

"Three new people."

"Huh?" Scully smiled and pulled Mulder off the bed.

--

"How do you know my Mommy and Daddy?" William asked, now standing in the living room. Reyes' eyes were tearing up as William spoke to her and Doggett. William didn't say his name, but she and Doggett knew who he was. He could see the resemblance, the hair, eyes, lips, nose.

"Mulder," Reyes and Doggett said at once.

"Monica, Doggett, this is our son... William." Scully had a huge grin from ear to ear. William clung onto Mulder's leg and raised his arms to be lifted up.

"The William?" Monica asked, still a little shocked.

"It's him." Mulder walked over with William in his arms. His eyes fell on the baby in Doggett's arms, drinking its bottle.

"Who's this?"

"This is our daughter Alice," Doggett whispered proudly.

"Whose daughter?" Mulder asked, a little confused, and Reyes and Scully laughed quietly.

"Mulder, you were quite slow on the phone." Monica let out another laugh, accompanied by Scully's. "John and I got married two years ago. Alice here's a year and three weeks old." She smoothed the hair on her sleeping baby's head.

"I see the resemblance," Mulder commented, now looking over at the baby. "Your dark hair, your nose," Alice was beautiful, he couldn't help but to smile. "Your eyes?" He looked at Doggett. He smiled and nodded. William crawled onto Scully's lap, and held on tight to her.

"I'm gonna go start dinner." Scully got up and placed William down on the floor.

"Mommy!" William whined quietly, since the baby was sleeping. He stretched his arms up for his mother.

"I have to start dinner, Willie." Scully told him softly and sweetly.

"Please, Mommy?" He begged, grabbing onto her leg. Scully gave in and smiled weakly.

"Okay, you can help."

"Can I put her down somewhere, Mulder? My arm's killing me."

"Well, we don't really have a crib around anywhere."

"How big is your bed?" Reyes asked, standing up and holding her arms out for her daughter.

"It's a King."

"Can we put her there? She wont just roll off."

"Go ahead. It's the first door on you left across from the steps." Reyes walked off upstairs with Alice cradled in her arms, leaving Doggett and Mulder alone in the living room.

"So what's going on Mulder? Monica told me it sounded important. And how did you get William back."

"It was a week ago. His parents were abusive, and-"

"Wait... how did you find him? I thought Scully gave him up to an anonymous family."

"We got a letter from his teacher. And Skinner got a hold of us. William has... these dreams... these nightmares. He used them for an idea for a project. He had nightmares of the... super soldiers and alien bounty hunters. Now, we believe he's in serious danger. One came for him at the child service's center in Montana." Doggett didn't respond. "That's why I called you and Reyes." Reyes and Scully came back to the living room. Reyes sat just as close to Doggett as Mulder did to Scully. Scully grabbed his hand. Monica admired the way Scully's diamond ring shown in the sunlight.

"Is it later yet?" She said in a whisper. William left her alone to go play outside with Ashlynn.

"I suppose it is," Mulder said, frowning.

"What's going on?" Scully prompted squeezing his hand.

"Anna and Tom, the adoptive parents, they're building a case to get William back. Skinner said," Scully caught her face with her hands, but she wasn't crying. The tears kept their place in the corner of her eyes, stinging them. "It's bad. We have to find information."

"They're not taking him Mulder!" Her voice cracked and she stood up; her tears sill refused to release themselves.

"I know, I know," He pulled her into his arms. "We're not gonna let them."

"Do you guys know?" Scully asked.

"No, but I'm guessing that's why we're here." Doggett said, his arm wrapped around Reyes' waist.

"And because we have to protect him."

"You guys have a baby now," Scully said with a sincere smile. She was happy that Reyes and Doggett had finally gotten together. "We understand if you aren't able to help us."

"We want to help, Dana." She said, grabbing Scully's hands and squeezing them. "We wanna help the most we can. But Alice comes first to us."

"But we'll help you fight this. You'll keep William, and William will be completely safe, no matter what we're up against."

--  
Dinner was nice, and wasn't focused so much on what the adults were previously discussing. To William's liking, Ashlynn had joined them, but right after dinner she had to get home.

"Mommy, I'm tired," William said rubbing his eyes after dinner. Scully was at the sink when William stretched his arms up to be held. Scully picked him up and he rested his head on her shoulder.

"You take him up to bed, and I'll finish putting the dishes in the dishwasher."

"Actually we better get going too," Dogget said, standing up from the couch. "Alice passed out." He pointed to his daughter, who was lying across Reyes' lap, holding a toy.

--

Scully and Mulder both tucked William into bed and then they both took a long shower. After, they both got changed for bed and laid in each other's arms talking.

"Everything's gonna be fine," Mulder reassured Scully, rubbing the side of her cheek. "I think you need to take off work."

"Why?" Scully asked a little surprised.

"You just seem so stressed out sometimes. You have the hospital and William to worry about. You need a break. Stay home here, just for a day or two." Scully half smiled and pressed her lips onto Mulder's for a soft sensual kiss which, after a few seconds, got deeper. Their tongues wrestled while their hearts raced. Mulder tangled his fingers in Scully's hair, and she gripped his waist and rolled herself on top of him.

"Again?" Mulder asked against Scully's lips, his voice full of desire. She let out a small giggle before moving her lips with his.

**Thanksgiving next chapter (:  
Please Review.**


	7. Thanksgiving

**It's a long one. I'm sorry for the wait. And I didn't have it corrected for errors... sorry :(  
I just wanted to get it up for you guys.  
Dedicated to baby Felix. (His name is an anagram for X-files! & close to the name FOX, which she joked about being his name. But I seriously think Fox would've been a better name. Felix reminds me of cats.)  
Okay, what do you guys think about this... (just curious)  
1. XF2 Gets Filmed  
2. Gillian Anderson becomes pregnant  
3. David Duchovny & his Sex Addiction  
4. David & Tea confirm that they have been split for several months.**

Tell me in a review... I wanna know what you think!

**--**

Thanksgiving

Mulder sat idly in his office on a Wednesday morning. The air vent behind him blew warm air out towards him, which was nice. He had just come back inside from the cold. Just as he was going to fling one of his Ticonderogas into the ceiling, his familiar ringtone sounded, Skinner's ringtone.

Apparently, Scully had heard it too. She was busy cleaning the house, for tomorrow was Thanksgiving and the whole family was coming by to re-meet William. She woke up early to start on the kitchen and was now walking in the office with a dish towel, drying her soapy hands.

"Is that Skinner?" Scully walked in and stood next to Mulder, as he nodded and answered his cell.

"Mulder," He answered.

"Mulder, it's Skinner. Now, Robinson called." Robinson was the judge, and as Skinner said his name he sounded tense. Clearly, there was bad news.

"Mulder, put it on speaker." He hesitantly touched the speaker button after Scully's request.

"He agreed to grant Anna and Tom Thanksgiving with William." Mulder slammed his fist on the table, and stood up. Scully crossed her arms in defense.

"NO!" They both shouted simultaneously.

"You both know I wouldn't have it that way... especially since I'm the one who has to supervise it."

"So now you're not going to come over for dinner with us?" Mulder asked.

"Mulder, I'm not letting this happen." Scully said firmly.

"I guess I can't."

"Well..." Mulder got up as he thought. He leaned against the cold window pane. "What if they come here?"

"That would be fine."

"No!" Scully said, spinning Mulder around by grabbing his left arm. "I'm not having that woman in my house, Mulder."

"I feel the same way, but think about it Scully. It would only be for dinner. It would only be about an hour. You wanted William to meet your family. We already have all of this arranged."

"Mulder," Her lip quivered as she looked deeply into his green eyes.

"I'll be with you. Skinner would be here in case anything happened badly." Scully was pulled into Mulder's arms. He kissed her softly on the lips.

"Fine. But you know William's going to be more objective to this that I am." She motioned to the open door, where William could be seen playing with his legos in living room.

--  
William rolled out of bed the next morning at 8 am. He slipped into his monster inc slippers, and his little feet moved fast down the steps. He ran into the living room and sat down on the couch in front of the television, where the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade was on.

Scully was in the kitchen, unaware of her son in the living room, and she was basting the large turkey.

"Mommy, when's dinner gonna be ready?" William asked softly, on his knees, backwards on the couch so that he would be facing his mother.

"Oh, Willie I didn't know you were up already. Dinner won't be ready until around 3. Are you hungry now sweetie?" He nodded. "I bought your favorite cereal." Scully went over to the pantry and pulled out frosted flakes.

"Can I eat in the living room?" William asked, now at his mother's side. "The parade is my favorite."

"Sure sweetie, but you have to be very careful not to spill anything, okay?"

"I promise." William hugged his mother before taking his bowl of cereal into the living room.

After he ate, William grew aware of his father's absence.

"Mommy, where's Daddy?" William was rinsing out his empty bowl.

"Outside, Baby, he's raking leaves."

"Can I go!?"

"Just change your clothes."

In minutes William was running down the steps at full force, clad in a black fleece hoodie, dark jeans, and black tennis shoes. He flung the back door open and shut it quickly behind him. He ran down the deck steps and right into his father's arms.

"Daddy!" He shouted as his father caught him.

"What's wrong Will? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. Happy Thanksgiving!"

"Well, happy Thanksgiving to you too." Mulder picked his son up and kissed his cheek. William buried his face into the crook of Mulder neck. He was warm, a relief from the chilly air. William breathed his Daddy in deeply. Like his mother, he was in love with his father's scent.

"Can I help you?"

"I don't know if there's much more to be helped with." William looked around at the leaves. They were all in a nice neat pile. William frowned. "But you know what we can do?" William shook his head, still disappointed.

"We can jump in them!"

"Really?" To Mulder's amusement, William's blue eyes went wide. He mirrored his mother exactly. Mulder chuckled.

"Of course we can!" Mulder placed William on his feet, and just as he was about to jump, Mulder caught him. "You have to back up." Mulder took his hand and led him back farther. "You need a good running start. Ready. Set. GO!" William took off and leaped in pile of red and orange. The leaves crunched below him, and he yelled for his father to join him.

"Your turn!"

From above on the deck, next to all the covered furniture, Scully was admiring the red and orange foliage in there yard and the scene before her. She wore a nice pair of dark jeans, and a long brown sweater over her black turtle neck. She was taking pictures of her two favorite people playing in the leaves.

Mulder was spinning William in his arms, making him dizzy as Scully walked down the wooden steps.

"Mommy!" William wiggled out of his father's arms and ran into his mother's arms. "Mommy, we were just jumping in leaves! Wanna see?" William jumped into the pile and through a bunch of red into the air. Scully giggled. William took the red digital camera out of his mother's hand and took pictures at the trees.

"It's chilly out here." Mulder chuckled and stepped forward to wrap his arms around his wife.

"Chilly?" He chuckled a throaty sound. "How about just cold?" Like William, Scully took the liberty to bury her face in the crook of Mulder's neck and inhale his scent. William, who was noticing the heartfelt moment between his mother and father, grasped the opportunity to take a few pictures of it.

Scully giggled a light musical noise as Mulder lips lingered on her forehead. With her eyes closed she angled her head up so her lips could catch his. It was a light kiss, just like the simple moment between them.

The pictures William took, with Mulder's lips on her forehead, Mulder holding her, and their light kiss, looked like something out of a magazine. Although a six year old took the picture, the lighting and colors looked ideal for any photographer taking autumn pictures.

"Will toss me that camera." William tossed the camera lightly to his Daddy. "Stand right there with Mommy, I want to get a picture of you two." William clutched onto his mother's side, causing her to laugh. Mulder snapped the picture.

"Aw, but Mulder I wasn't ready!" She complained, pouting.

"You looked beautiful. Now, come on. I want another." This time Scully got down on her knee, to be the same height as William. Mulder took the picture once he was sure she was ready.

Scully got two of Mulder and William, one nice one and one silly one. After that, she sat the camera on the steps and hit timer, so they could have one all together.

Following their time outside, Scully got the chance to print all of the good pictures. A few were put into frames. When printed, one of them actually looked like a professionally done portrait.

All cuddled up on the couch, under a warm fleece blanket, the small family watched the end of the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade. Of course, after being outside they were all exhausted. Mulder was the only one to stay awake. The Mulder family was a William sandwich under the blanket. Mulder had is back against the couch, William's back was to him, his small head buried into his mother's red hair ,and Scully facing Mulder's side. Scully's hand was resting on Mulder's neck as she slept, and his hand was resting lightly on her waist. Her lips were lightly parted, and the tiniest bit of drool trickled down her chin. He was sure William looked the same. William stirred in both of their arms and he turned around.

"Daddy, when's everyone gonna be here?" He asked, and a big yawn followed.

"Actually," Mulder checked the clock, 1:21. "They should be her," Before he could finish the door bell sounded. Mulder sighed.

"That must be them. Can you go get the door for me, Will." Will carefully slid out of the sandwich and walked to the door to answer it!

"GRANDMA'S HERE, DADDY!" He yelled so loudly the Scully woke up. She flickered her eyes open and smiled as soon as she saw Mulder smiling back. But then she buried her face eddp into his chest.

"Honey, wake up, people are here." He whispered.

"No," Her voice was muffled by his chest. Mulder chuckled. He kissed her head and held her tight.

"I'm too tired," Scully sounded like she was William's age. Her mother and brother behind her started cracking up. Scully's head snapped up, thinking it was Bill laughing.

"Sis, calm down. It's just me not Bill." It was Charlie, Scully's little brother. He looked an awful lot like Scully, but with brown hair.

"Charlie!" Scully smiled. Her brother walked around the couch to give his older sister a hug.

"How you doing, man?" Charlie asked, giving Mulder one of those manly hugs where they clap each other on the back.

"I'm doing great. Happy Thanksgiving, Charlie, Maggie." Maggie smiled, kissed William's cheek, and sat him down on the floor. William pulled on her pant leg.

"Sweetie, I have to cook the yams. You're cousins should be in here soon. Happy Thanksgiving, Fox." Scully got up and embraced her mother and kissed her cheek. After mother and daughter exchanged happy Thanksgiving, William pulled William up into her arms, and walked to the door.

"Michelle, Happy Thanksgiving!" Scully hugged her 7 months pregnant sister-in-law. Attached to her arm was 23 month old Lakyn. (A/n: Pronounced as LAY-kin.) One hand was holding her short blonde braided pig tail the other held tightly onto her mother's hand. Her pink sippy cup was tucked underneath her arm.

"Happy Thanksgiving, Dana!"

"You're looking very pregnant."

"Thank you." Michelle giggled as two twin seven year old boys walked in.

"Auntie Dana!" Tristan and Tyler, the twins both hugged their aunt. Lakyn pulled on Scully's wrist.

"Hey boys! Hey Lakyn, look how big you're getting!" Scully set William down next to the cousins he didn't know and picked up the baby. Lakyn giggled an adorable baby giggle.

"Tristan, Tyler, Lakyn, this is your cousin, William." William very excited waved.

"William, that's Tristan, Tyler, and Lakyn." Scully pointed each one out. "And this is your aunt, Michelle." Michelle smiled and waved.

"Hi, William, happy Thanksgiving!"

"Thank you, Auntie Michelle." William was soon running up the steps with his two cousins.

Mulder, Bill, and Bill's 10 year old son, Matthew were throwing the football out in the backyard. Most of the animosity between Bill and Mulder was gone. They liked each other enough to be able to have a decent conversation and throw a football, but they were nowhere close to how Mulder and Charlie were. Bill was always trying to follow in his father's footsteps as a child, always being strict. Charlie, on the other hand, was just a jokester, closer to Mulder.

William made fast friends with his two cousins, Tristan and Tyler. They never came downstairs from his room. Scully had to go upstairs with Bill, Tara, Matthew, and their 5 year old, Daniel.

The two pregnant women, Tara, who was 8 months pregnant, and Michelle, sat in the living room knitting hats. Tara's was horrible, but Michelle's was near perfection. Scully had to admit, she was a little jealous. She wanted so badly to just get pregnant.

Five minutes before dinner, Anna and Tom had pulled up in front of the house. Scully sank into the chair in the front room once she looked out the window.

"It'll be fine," Mulder said calmly, walking up to her and rubbing her should as she sat.

"I'm not thinking of myself, Mulder. I'm thinking about him."

"Honey, when we told William... do you remember? He was upset... but he told us it would be fine. We explained to him that the only other option was just being with them." Scully bit her lip and nodded as the doorbell rang. "Come on." Mulder pulled her up with his hand and then secured his arm tightly around her waist.

"Hi, happy Thanksgiving," Mulder greeted Anna and Tom politely as they came in. Tom wore a jean button down shirt and a pair of jeans. Anna wore an dull orange turtle neck anda pair of dark wash jeans.

"Hello, Fox, Dana." Tom was always the more polite one when it came to Mulder and Scully. Anna was ruthless. However, Tom was sometimes just as bad. "Happy Thanksgiving to you both."

"Here, let me take your coats." Scully offered, forcing a smile upon her lips.

"Where's William?" Anna asked, looking around the house. Voices could be heard but she wasn't able to see anyone.

"Oh, he's upstairs with his cousins. I'll go get him." Scully began walking upstairs when Tom stopped her.

"Can I go with you?" He asked, his hand on her arm made her feel uncomfortable. She wentto scratch her head. "I'd love to see William's room."

"O-okay," She stuttered. "Sure."

While Scully led Tom up to William's bedroom, Mulder took the liberty to be a good host, and introduce Anna to the family. He was being more polite than she deserved, and for once she wasn't bad mouthing. Maybe it was because they invited her into their house for Thanksgiving. He didn't know.

"William, kids," Scully tapped on William's creaked open door before lightly pushing it open. "William, Tom is here and so is Anna. He wanted to see your room." Tom peeked his head into the door slightly.

"This is a nice room you have, William." Tom commented politely, stepping inside. "Do you mind if I go admire your view?" William shrugged his shoulders and got up to hug his mother's waist. She smoothed his soft brown hair, reassuring him. "Your view is beautiful." Tom smiled and then turned to see William hugging Scully. He frowned on the spot. His bald head shined in the light pouring in through the windowed doors. "Are you happy, William?" Tom walked up and stared down at William. He nodded, and then Tom left the bedroom.

"That wasn't weird." Tristan said sarcastic tone, which he doubt inherited from his father, as he ripped off a loose thread from his sweater.

"Tristan," Scully warned.

"Sorry, Auntie Dana," Tyler was giggling beside him.

"That was William's adoptive Dad, Tom." Scully announced, as she again rubbed her hand over her son's head. "Dinner should be ready in a few, so can you guys please go wash your hands." The two other boys slowly got to their feet and followed William and Scully across the hall into the bathroom.

No one in Mulder and Scully's house knew about what Anna and Tom had done to William except for Skinner. And for that reason, they were all being kind and welcoming. However, it was a fact that if they did know the truth, Anna and Tom would've been hit, kicked, lit on fire, a shotgun shoved up their butt, slapped, ridiculed, or all of the above.

Scully walked down the steps with the twins behind her, William was in her arms, his face buried in her hair.

"Mommy, can I help you in the kitchen?"

"Do you want to?" William nodded, eagerly. "Then of course you can, sweetheart." Scully set William down on the tiled floor. The turkey was finished. Just as she was going to pull it out of the oven, she felt a pair of large hands on her waist.

"Let me," Mulder insisted, bent over next to her. He kissed her cheek, causing her to smile and blush violently as the blood rushed to her cheeks. Scully backed up out of Mulder's way to see William staring at least 16 whip cream cans sat.

"Mommy are we gonna use all of these on our pumpkin pie!?" William's eyes lit up with excitement.

"No." He frowned. "We're going to use them for something even better." William looked at her, face full of confusion. "You'll see after we've all eaten."

As soon as the loud roaring of the electric knife Mulder had used to carve up the turkey ceased, Scully called out to everyone.

"Dinner's ready!"

All the food was set up in the kitchen on the counter and the island, ready to be put on plates. The adults would be sitting in the dining room, whereas the children would all be in the kitchen. After grace was said by Mrs. Scully, everyone was allowed to head into the kitchen to prepare their plates. The kitchen was filled the most mouth-watering aroma, which could only be found on Thanksgiving.

Mulder had taken the liberty to fixing his son's plate. He had turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes drenched in brown homemade gravy, green bean casserole, and candied sweet potatoes. Mulder carried William's plate to the round table in front of the back door, where his other cousins were already sitting. There was only one vacant seat at that table, other than the one Mulder had set his food at.

"No, Daddy." William whined. "I want to sit with you and Mommy... please?" William gave him one little pout, and that was all it took for Mulder to give in.

"Okay," Mulder took William's plate into the dining room and sat it on the table.

"What are you doing, Mulder?" Scully asked, raising an eyebrow as she set her plate at the place setting next to where William's plate was set.

"He wanted to sit in here with us."

"Mulder, this table is for adults only."

"Scully, look at our son." William pouted, and her expression softened. She sighed.

"Alright." She said before smiling sweetly to William. She couldn't turn down William's face, and besides, shouldn't he get to sit with his parents on his first Thanksgiving with them?

Within minutes everyone was sitting down enjoying the food that was prepared for them. Other than Lakyn, who sat in her highchair being fed by Michelle, William was the only child at the adult table. He sat next to his mother, and to his right was his grandma. Anna and Tom were across from him. Skinner sat next to Mulder. William had eaten half of what was on his plate, and was now engaged in a conversation about school with his uncle, Charlie. Anna and Tom had been quiet the dinner, just enjoying their food.

"William quit talking and finish up your dinner." Anna randomly said right before she shoved a spoonful of mashed potatoes into her mouth. William, nervous, looked up to his mother. His eyes broke her heart.

"It's okay sweetheart." She caressed his cheek as she whispered. Anna glared deviously. "Just please finish up your food." Scully spoke to her son in the softest tone she ever used. Mulder's hand was under the table with Scully's during the whole course of the meal. Now, he was squeezing her hand in reassurance.

"I believe that children should be seen and not heard." Every single head turned to Anna. Her husband smiled sheepishly, and Scully shot her a glare. Finally Anna's true colors were beginning to show.

"Well we don't believe that in this family." Maggie's cold glare mirrored Scully's from just a moment ago, and she put her arm around her grandson's shoulder.

"Well, who wants pie?" Tara asked cheerfully, getting up and breaking through the tension in the room. She carried her plate into the kitchen and Bill followed with her.

"Well, I think it's time for us to head back." Tom said with a smile, standing up. William got to his feet as well, but instead of saying goodbye to Anna and Tom, he went in between his mother and father, who were also standing, and he buried his small face into his mother's sweater, wrapping his little arms around her waist. "It was nice meeting you all." Tom said politely, now backing out of the dining room. The Scully's said their polite farewells to Tom, although they were clearly upset with his wife. Mulder with his arm around Scully's waist and William squished in between their hips, walked Tom and Anna to the door.

Scully, with ill feelings towards Anna, did not say goodbye to her, but only to Tom. Tom was so confusing to her. How could he appear so nice but have been so cruel? It wasn't really something that she could just go ahead and ask her six year old son. After she said goodbye to Tom, she pulled William up into her arms and in less than a second his face was completely buried into her red hair.

"Are you okay, Buddy?" Mulder pulled Scully's hair away so that he could see his son.

"I'm fine, Daddy." William held his arms out for Mulder to take him and carry him back to the table.

Nearly everyone was out of the dining room. Bill was still there on his second piece of pumpkin pie, talking to his mother, who was only on her first. Hers was covered in whipped cream, a Scully Family favorite.

"Daddy, Mommy, will you stay and eat with me?" William asked, looking from his parents to his plate. He only ate a little bit more than half.

"Sorry, baby. Daddy and I need to start cleaning up. If you eat all of your food you can be a part of the surprise with the whipped cream." Mulder smirked, obviously Scully hadn't have told him.

"Mommy, does Daddy know now too?"

"Yep." Scully kissed Mulder's cheek. "And he's not going to tell anyone." Her lips were still on his cheek as she spoke. "Isn't that right, Mulder?"

"Yep."

--  
It was half time of The Steelers vs. The Browns Thanksgiving day football game. The Steelers were up by 7, thanks to Willie Parker running about a hundred yards! Anyways, as tradition in the Scully Family, their annual fun game for the kids, and participating adults was held.

Everyone put on their light sweaters and headed outside. Michelle and Tara brought out a blanket along with them so they could watch from the deck. Charlie Scully carried out nearly 18 whip cream canisters. All the participating Scullys were lined up on the grass. Charlie set the canisters down and blew a silver whistle that was on a red lanyard cord.

"Now, the rules are the same as they always are. But, seeing as William is all new to this I'll go over them. When spraying the whip cream on another person," William had to interrupt with his joy.

"We're spraying whip cream!?" Everyone had to giggle at the six year old's excited face.

"Yes, William," Charlie smiled. "Now, when spraying the whip cream on another person, you are allowed to hold onto them, but be gentle with the younger kids. Now there is absolutely no kicking, pushing, hitting, or slapping... Dana," There was another outburst of laughter. Everyone could remember Scully from last year when she slapped and kicked Bill from spraying any more white foam into her hair.

"Charlie!"

"Danes, you did it last year, and when you were a kid. I remember one time when we were just teens and..."

"Charlie, my little boy wants to play!"

"Okay, then... no leaving the yard, and no going into the street. Did I forget anything? Oh and everyone attack Mulder first... okay that was a joke." He added at last minute and threw his arms up in surrender once Mulder shot him a glare. "Everyone have their cans? Alright, on my whistle."

Once Charlie blew his whistle everyone was running around the yard in chaos. The only ones who sat out were Tara, Michelle, Bill (from knee injuries earlier that year), Maggie, Lakyn, and Skinner.

Scully was in the middle of tag teaming Charlie with her nephew Matthew when Mulder came up behind and caused Scully to fall in the grass.

"You okay?" He asked, now standing over her. She giggled and raised her can to push nozzle down, but he beat her to it. They were spraying it all over each other. That's when Tara called down to Mulder and Scully.

"Dana, Mulder, this is a family game!" The whole deck roared with laughter as Scully was pulled up by Mulder.

"Sorry, Hun," Mulder kissed the whip cream off her cheek before dashing off to help his giggling son from the tortures from Charlie.

"Get him Daddy!" William cheered for his Dad once he took Charlie down with his whip cream.

"Shit," Mulder mumbled once he was out of whip cream.

"Mommy! Daddy said a bad word!" William tattled and pointed to his Daddy running to the other whip cream cans so he could get his second.

"Mulder!" Scully scolded from across the yard, where she was getting tag teamed by the twins. She broke away from them and ran off to the youngest one who was playing, Daniel.

"Will, you tattled on me." Mulder faked his pout before taking William in one arm.

"What are we doing?"

"Getting Mommy!" Mulder charger off to Scully, and the whip cream battle between the two continued until they were all sprawled out on the grass. William's head was on Scully's stomach, and his legs were draped over Mulder's stomach. Mulder ruled onto his side in laughter, facing Scully, who had whip cream all over her face. He kissed her lips, and William giggled.

"Yummy." He mumbled, causing Scully to giggle just like William had. William then got off of his Mommy and onto his knees where he kissed his Mommy's cheek, tasting the whip cream.

"Daddy's right Mommy! It is yummy!" Scully and Mulder both looked at each other, and if William would've seen the look exchanged, the he would've known that they had something planned.

"Mommy , Daddy!" William screamed as his parents attacked him with kissed wherever the whip cream was. This continued for about ten seconds, that is until the whole whip cream fight was over.

Then William climbed on Mulder's back, and Mulder pulled Scully too her feet. Everyone looked ridiculous when they all gathered onto the deck. White froth was everywhere on everyone. Maggie, with Scully's digital camera, took the annual picture of the family after the fight. It was priceless. Then she got a few of Michelle kissing Charlie, who was completely covered in whip cream. He was probably the worst out of everyone. The twins looked hilarious, and William was just so cute and excited in his pictures. Then Maggie probably shot the best one of Mulder and Scully taken all day.

They were both giggling and Mulder had his lips against her cheek. He was beaming. He had just kissed some cream off of her. Then, Mulder took his can and sprayed a little on his lips and pressed them to Scully's. She giggled as their lips met while creating a mess. Mrs. Scully got that one on film as well.

After an hour or so everyone was inside the warm house, all in different clothing. Each had taken turns in the bathrooms to get the whip cream off of their face. As for the hair, well Scully was the only one with that issue really, and she was waiting for everyone to leave to actually take a shower.

When William had come down from his bedroom, after changing, he wouldn't leave Scully's side. He was next to her the whole time. Within minutes of being downstairs, he was in her arms, being carried around the house.

"William, don't you want to watch football with your Daddy?" Scully asked William, who was hoisted on her hip.

"Yeah, come on, Will." Mulder called from the couch. He knew Scully needed the rest. She had been carrying him for nearly 15 minutes.

"No, Mommy. I wanna be with you."

"Please, Will." Mulder asked his son, with a fake pout. "Let Mommy put you down."

"But I want Mommy to hold me." William's voice never reached full out whining, but it seemed close. "Please, Mommy?"

"Baby, I need a break." She apologized to her son. If it was up to her she wouldn't put him down.

"Mommy," he whispered, wrapping his arms around her tightly. Scully just said him down on the floor. "Noooo," He whispered a bit louder this time.

"Baby, please. I'll come get you once my break is over, okay?" William's blue eyes were tearing. It hurt Scully so bad. Why was he so hurt? Why did it seem like he really wanted her right at that moment?

"Okay," William whispered, and went to go sit by all his cousins next to the TV.

"Dana, can I speak to you for a second?" Mrs. Scully said. She was standing in the dining room. "You too, Fox." Mulder and Scully followed Mrs. Scully into Mulder's office. "This is a nice office Fox," Mrs. Scully complimented, as she admired the photos on the desk.

"Thank you."

"Your Welcome. Now, I'm worried about my grandson. Dana, honey, he was just so attached to you right there. I noticed today that he constantly wanted to be by you both. Is he always like that."

"He is."

"Well, quite frankly, I'm really worried."

"He'll grow out of it," Scully said quickly, trying to assure her mother.

"Dana, he's six years old."

"My son's fine, Mom."

"Dana... maybe you should go see someone."

"We already have an appointment with a doctor that Monica is friends with. She said he would help us. William's had nightmares, and we'll bring this up to him too."

"Will you call me after?" Scully nodded. "Thank you. I think Charlie and Michelle are taking me home in a bit. Where are our coats?"

"They're all in mine and Mulder's bedroom."

When Maggie had left, Scully fell into Mulder's arms. He was leaning up against his desk. He threw his arms around Scully.

"Now, I'm sure nothing's wrong with William. But, your mom's right... we should ask. It couldn't hurt." Mulder rubbed his hand up and down Scully's back. "Hey," Mulder lifted up Scully's chin with his index finger. "Today went fine, didn't it?" Scully nodded. "As soonas Anna said something, Tom took her away."

"I don't understand Tom. It seems like... he's a push over. He just seems so nice, and then there's her. But then again, he can't be nice after what he did to our son, Mulder." Mulder was surprised that Scully was actually talking about this without the tears.

"He was or is still... a drunk, Scully. That explains it. Tom's a nice guy when he's sober, but when he's not... he's ruthless." Scully sighed and pressed her face into Mulder's chest, "All those years as a criminal profiler.

--  
Mulder, with a towel wrapped around his waist, carried Scully, who had a towel wrapped around her body, out from the bathroom. They giggled the whole way. When he set her down on the bed, he kissed her nose, and then turned to the dresser to find pajamas. Scully fell back on her back and tightly shut her eyes. Tomorrow was the appointment with Monica's friend, the psychiatric doctor that would help them.

**Please, review. Did you like?  
Did I mention that I had to rewrite this whole damn thing AFTER it was already halfway written?  
Jeez. :( I LOVE X-FILESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!! :D  
****--A.**

Oh, and heere's that question you should answer in a review :)  
Okay, what do you guys think about this... (just curious)  
1. XF2 Gets Filmed  
2. Gillian Anderson becomes pregnant  
3. David Duchovny & his Sex Addiction  
4. David & Tea confirm that they have been split for several months.

Tell me in a review... I wanna know what you think!


	8. Brown

**Sorry for that wait. This chapter is dedicated to all of my reviewers and readers. You guys are seriously the BEST of . No, lie! Here's chapter 8! Oh, and I haven't gotten this Beta-ed. :( It's late... and I really wanted to get this posted. It's 12:51 am... and quite frankly, I'm tired. So here you go! :)  
Please review. :)**

**Chapter8. **

The wind blew violently outside the window that night. The lamps outside casted shadows in William's bed, and the trees appeared menacing. He had been thrashing around in his bed, and woke up with sweat beads on his face. When he opened his eyes, he shrieked! His breathing became uneven. Scully, with Mulder behind her, ran into William's bedroom.

Once she flickered on the light, she was relieved to see William safe, but alarmed with his appearance. His brown hair was matted across his forehead and he was crying. When he cried his lip trembled like his mother's and Mulder couldn't bare it. His brow furrowed like Mulder's. Scully plopped down on the bed next to William and pulled her into his arms, where he cried.

"Mommy and Daddy are here William," She whispered into his ear as he damped her shoulder with his tears.

"I'm scared," He hiccupped his words.

"Scared of what?" Mulder asked. He was now sitting next to William, rubbing his back.

"I... I had a bad dream. They were coming to get me! And then... I thought I saw them at the window in my dream. And when I woke up I saw the trees shadow. But Daddy... I felt him touch me in my dream!"

"William... we're here now. No one's going to hurt you or grab you. We may not still be FBI agents but I'm sure that we can still kick butt!" William giggled a little, which was definitely a good sign. "Willie, we're gonna get you out of those PJs, okay? They're soaked in your sweat."

Mulder crossed over to William's dresser to get him some fresh clothes while Scully pulled William's shirt over his head and then his pants too. Then, she pulled Mulder old Oxford T-shirt on him. It dropped to his feet.

"Can I sleep with you guys," William sniffed, pulling on the blue silk of Scully's pajama top.

"Of course, Baby," Scully caressed her son's cheek before Mulder pulled him up into his bare arms

William lay in the bed under the covers with his parents on either side of him. His face was buried into Scully, and he clutched onto her.

"Mommy," William whispered, stroking his mother's red hair. "How come you and Daddy sleep together?" Mulder's eyes went wide and he suppressed a chuckle. "And how come I sleep alone?"

"Well, Will... Daddy and I are married. When you're married you can sleep with your wife."

"When will I be married?"

"When you're older," Mulder said.

"Girls are icky though." He added with a yawn.

"You're friends with Ashlynn." Scully pointed out.

"Girls are icky."

"Mommy's a girl."

"Didn't we already have this conversation?"

"Can I just marry mommy then?"

"Tough luck, buddy. Mommy's mine." Mulder got up and kissed Scully on the lips causing an outburst of giggles from both Scully and William.

Soon William fell asleep, clutching to Scully. However, Scully wasn't sleeping, and Mulder couldn't fall asleep knowing that something was bothering her. He saw the worry in her eyes.

"Get some sleep," He said, stroking her cheek.

"I'm worried." Mulder sighed and pressed a kiss to her hand, which was on William's back.

"I'm worried too, but everything's going to be cleared up tomorrow. We're not going to let anyone hurt him, you know that." Scully closed her eyes and sighed. Mulder hated the sight of her in pain. He leaned over William's sleeping body and kissed her softly, letting his lips linger on hers.

"Thank you," she said against his lip and then sniffed.

The next morning William woke up around 8, and he shook Mulder awake as well.

"Daddy, are we going to watch cartoons?"

"William, I'm tired." Mulder complained, shoving a pillow over his head.

"Daddy, pleaseeee?!" William begged, shaking his father's arm. Mulder chuckled.

"Mulder, William, it's time to get ready," Scully said, coming into the bedroom. William sat back away from his father as Mulder pulled the pillow off of his head. She gave William a hug and a kiss before dipping her head down to kiss Mulder as well.

"Mommy, where are we going, again?" William asked after reaching his arms out for Scully to hold him.

"You're going to talk to a very nice man, William. His name is D-" She was careful not to mention that he was a doctor, "John Brown."

" Is he nice?"

"Very Nice," Mulder smiled, wrapping his arms around Scully. "He's a friend of Monica's."

"I like her." Scully set William down on the ground. He was still pulling on her silk robe for her.

"William, I put your clothes out on your bed. Can you go get ready? I have to get ready too." In all reality, Scully was yearning for some alone time with Mulder. Just a minute or two wouldn't hurt.

"Okay, Mommy!" William's little legs ran off into his bedroom. Scully spun around in Mulder's arms, her arms around his neck. She got on her tippy toes to press a hard kiss on his lips. Luckily, William shut the door. Mulder backed her up against the bed, and she held onto his neck as she wrapped her legs around his waist. When she pulled away, she was flushed, and he was beaming.

"Feeling better, Scully?" He asked, pressing his lips to her forehead.

"Not at all, I'm a nervous wreck." She said with a smile. Mulder frowned. He sat her on the bed and kneeled in front of her between her legs. He placed his hand to Scully's warm cheek. She broke her gaze on him, and turned into his palm, pressing a long soft kiss to his hand. "I hate when you look at me like that." Her tone of voice was changed completely. It was now soft and troubled.

"Like how?" She turned to look at him. His green eyes were full of concern.

"That face always makes me honest. I can't hide. I can't pretend. It breaks the façade that I put up." He took her face into both of his hands.

"You don't have to hide." He whispered firmly with a tone that only made it harder for her.

"I do. I do for our son." Mulder understood completely. He squared his jaw and pulled her into his arms. They stayed like that, silent for only a moment. Then, William peeked into the room.

"Mommy, you're not even ready." He frowned. Scully pulled back from Mulder and smiled. She spoke in a light voice.

"I was talking to Daddy about some grown up stuff."

"Oh... Well can I go downstairs and watch TV until it's time to leave?" William was swinging impatiently on the door.

"Okay, but when Daddy and I get downstairs I'm going to get your breakfast and you're going to eat, deal?"

"Deal." William shut the door behind him and ran downstairs. Once the door shut Scully, with her hands firmly on Mulder's chest, gave him a quick peck on the lips before going to their closet. She pulled out an outfit that she would usually wear to work, a pair black pants, a white fitted cuffed button down shirt with skinny navy stripes, accompanied by a skinny black belt. Then, she walked over to her dresser and opened her top drawer, pulling out her under clothes

Mulder watched her slip into the new articles of clothing and she caught his eyes on her once she was in her black pants and grey bra. She smirked.

"Aren't you going to pick out my clothes?" Mulder teased, causing a giggle to escape her lips. She pointed to the pile of clothes she already had out on his dresser. She always had such a better fashion sense than he did. Mulder, not letting his eyes leave Scully's body, pulled on his clothes too. She of course was done before he had finished pulling on his light blue button up shirt.

As Scully was applying her makeup Mulder shaved. They finished at the same time. Mulder pinned Scully in between the counter and his body. She smirked when she saw the reflection of Mulder behind her kissing her neck. She spun around, and fixed his collar, allowing her fingers to graze his smooth neck.

"You wearing this type of shirt just brings me back to our days in the basement." She smiled, so therefore she must've been thinking of the good times while they were in the FBI together. Mulder dipped his head down to catch her lips. "We better get down stairs and eat. We have to be out of the door in 45 minutes."

William, clad in a dark navy sweater, sat on the couch watching SpongeBob and giggling at all the funny moments.

"Come on baby, it's time for breakfast." Scully called from the kitchen. It was like an ideal scene from the American dream. Mulder was sitting at the island with his coffee and paper, and Scully was getting William's cereal. William sat next to his daddy, and Mulder let William see what he was reading while he ate his cereal. "Aren't you hungry, Mulder?" Scully said as she stirred a small bit of nuts into her yogurt.

"I'm fine. Are you just going to eat that yogurt?" Mulder looked up from his paper a little concerned. Scully was always the one about eating healthy, which meant a good breakfast.

"I had a bowl of Special K with banana this morning. I don't know why but I've just been really hungry lately." Mulder nodded, biting down on a sunflower seed. He had a few sitting in front of him.

"Well, that's good for our Thanksgiving leftovers." Scully giggled. William finished his cereal and carried it to the sink. "Go brush your teeth, William." William obliged Mulder, leaving Mulder and Scully alone.

---  
Scully got out of the car and William, who learned how to get himself out of his car seat, was now opening the door. Mulder met his wife and son on their side. Scully took William's hand, but he was soon asking to be held.

"Daddy, can you carry me?" William asked, tugging on his father's arm. Scully smirked. Of course, Mulder, unable to say no to such an adorable face, hoisted William on his hip. He placed his hand on Scully's waist and kissed her temple as they walked into the building.

They sat in the waiting room for nearly 7 minutes before being called in. Doggett and Reyes, who agreed to go as well, were there with their little girl Alice. She was asleep in Doggett's arms, wearing a pink velour sweat suit. It was hard for Scully to take her eyes off of Alice. She was so peaceful and beautiful in Doggett's arms. Scully wished she would've still had William at that age. Reyes noticed, but didn't say anything. She understood what her friend was feeling. She was there for her the whole time she went through losing William. William played at the children's are in the corner. He was with a little girl who appeared to be around eight years old.

"William," The receptionist behind the glass said, looking around the room. Mulder, Scully, Dogget, Reyes, and William all stood up. Reyes got Alice's things and Scully took William's hand as they all went through the glass door, where they entered a hallway.

They were greeted by Dr. John Brown. After saying hello to all the adults and commenting on how big Alice was, Brown smiled down at William.

"You're a doctor?" William asked, tilting his head to the side. Brown sensed how William was feeling.

"Not a doctor like your mommy or like a dentist. I'm a different kind."

"Less scary?" Scully laughed at her son's question.

"Will, you think Mommy is scary?" Mulder said, ruffling his sons hair.

"No," He giggled.

"Well, William I don't think I'm scary. Do you Mrs. Mulder, Mr. Mulder?"

"Of course not," "No," They both said simultaneously.

"So would it be okay if I talk to you, William?" Brown asked, his dimpled smile, friendly.

"Okay..." William said, before they were all led down a hallway. Dr. John Brown was tall, young, and hansom. He was apparently Monica's cousin's stepbrother. He and Reyes had lost contact after she was ten, but had met him again once she discovered her friend was married to him, and that was about a year ago. He was around his early thirties, had a nice thick black hair, fair skin, and blue eyes. He actually looked quite like Patrick Dempsey. Doggett and Reyes had entered a different room from which Mulder, Scully and William were now entering with Brown. It was a nice sized light blue room. It was clearly meant for child patients. On one wall there was a large blackboard with colorful chalk in a pale next to it. On the opposite wall there was a large mirror. Underneath that mirror were two shelves, loaded with art supplies for children. Toys were lined up against the wall. There was a large couch in the middle of the room, accompanied by a large chair.

"You can have a seat on that couch, William." William sat on the couch, looking all around the room. Scully and Mulder stood with Brown. "From what I understand Mrs. Mulder, you gave William up when he was just a baby... for his safety, correct?" Scully nodded, Mulder's arm was wrapped tightly around her waist. "His adoptive parents were abusive towards him, and he's been suffering from nightmares?" Scully and Mulder both nodded.

"One actually had him in the hospital," Mulder added. "He had a high temperature when he woke up. "He always wakes up with his clothes soaked with sweat." The doctor nodded.

"Is that all?"

"W-Well," Scully stuttered. "He's been... he's... my mother wanted me to tell you about his behavior. He's very clingy to both me and my husband. I have no problem with it."

"And neither do I."

"We both love him, and are very happy to have him back. But he always wants to be held."

"Doctor, I have a degree in psychology. But I can't even begin to diagnose my own son. No father would want to think something is wrong with his boy."

"I know where you're coming from." Brown said with a smile, sincerity in his eyes. He crossed to the chair in the room, taking a seat, and pulling out his clip board. Mulder and Scully sat next to William. William crawled onto Scully's lap.

"William, do you like drawing?" He meekly nodded. "Do you want to draw me a picture of your family?"

"Okay."

"You see that little table right there by that mirror?" William nodded. "I have paper, markers, and crayons on those shelves. You can use the table to and chairs to draw."

William was also asked to draw a picture of him, Anna, and Tom. When he finished he ran both drawings over to the doctor, and took his place back on his mother's lap.

"These are very nice pictures William." Brown smiled his dimpled smile. "DO you mind if I speak to you by yourself?"

"You mean Mommy and Daddy have to leave the room?"

"They'll just be through that door." Brown pointed at the door next to the mirror.

"Umm..."

"It'll be okay Will. It won't be that long." Mulder said, giving his son a sympathetic look. William nodded and watched his parents walk out through the door.

"William," Brown started. "You really love your parents, huh?" William smiled a nodded. "Would you be able to tell me about your dreams?" William thought for a moment.

"Do I have to?"

"You don't have to do anything you don't want to do, but I would like you to know what you're dreaming." William shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "I'm trying to help you William."

"Can you make them stop?" William's voice was small, almost a whisper.

"I can only try to help you if you tell me what your dreams are."

"Okay..." William spent the next ten minutes talking about what he had been dreaming, and it had not been easy for him. From behind the glass Scully yearned to go out to her little boy. Brown spent those ten minutes scribbling stuff down on his clipboard. After that was over, William was asked to describe his life with Anna and Tom and then his life with Mulder and Scully. There was a vast difference. He was just so happy whenever he spoke of Mulder and Scully. He even told about Thanksgiving, and he mentioned how much love there was.

"William, do you ever have the need to be held by your mother or father constantly?"

"I guess so... I just don't want to let go. I don't want to be taken away from them again."

"Well, I think we're just about done here. Do you see anything you would like to play with in this room?" William grinned and pointed to the legos. "Ahh, that seems to be a favorite. Why don't you go play with those legos while I step into the other room to talk to your parents?"

The room behind the door was small with a large rectangular window looking into the other room. Scully, Mulder, Doggett, Reyes, and Alice were all in there.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mulder," Brown addressed them. "You're son is... well he's a completely happy boy... now that is... now that he's with you both. His dreams... they're both disturbing and frightening. What does he eat before he goes to bed?" Scully had to think.

"Usually he'll eat some cereal or fruit." Brown nodded.

"Well, that's good. I was worried that his dreams were going to be related to his diet. Any scary movies or figures in the house."

"No, not at all. Doctor, about his mental health... how stable would you say he is?"

"After a child has been through what William has been through... Well, he is never going to forget. He told me that he's been going through this as long as he can remember. No child should have to endure that. I think that is why he is acting below his age level, with how much he needs you both. You heard him say that he never wants you two to lose him. From such a young age he didn't get the right amount of love he should have. Right now he is expecting the attention a four year old would, and I think you should continue that. It's what he needs, but easily slip into some sort of normalcy for his own age." Scully nodded, slipped her hand over her eyes, and she heavily sighed, feeling that this was all of her fault. "Might I add, you two are both doing a wonderful job at parenting. He seems extraordinarily happy with you both. He seems to love you... more than I have ever seen a child express." Brown held up both of the pictures William drew. Mulder removed Scully's hand from her eyes to look at them. She half smiled. The first one the people were spaced out, and they didn't have happy expressions on their faces. The second was of Scully, Mulder and William closely knit together in front of a house. Behind them was a giant heart and all of the figures were smiling.

"He loves to draw us pictures." Scully commented.

Mulder and Scully left the room and entered the one William was in. Mulder's hand was on the small of Scully's back. William didn't even notice. He loved playing with those legos. Doggett and Reyes both walked out with their daughter tottering beside them. When William looked up he ran right to his mommy's arms. Of course he wanted to be lifted up. He immediately buried his face in his mother's hair.

"Take care," Dr. Brown said to everyone as they left the room. "You be good, William." William waved as they all left the room and went down the hall to find their way out.

Doggett and Reyes' car followed Mulder and Scully's all the way to the mall where they hung out that day, enjoying all the after Thanksgiving sales and enjoying a nice lunch. Mulder, Scully, and William didn't get home until around 5. William was exhausted and was being carried to his bedroom by Mulder when Scully answered the door. It was their neighbor, Ashlynn.

"Hi, Ms. Dana," Ashlynn said as Scully smiled down at Ashlynn.

" Hello, Ashlynn. How are you sweetie?" By this time, William was already out of Mulder's arms, causing him to chuckle, and was now at the door behind his mother.

"I'm good. How are you?"

"I'm doing good, thank you."

"Can William come play over my house?"

"Well, actually sweetie he was-" William pulled on his mother's arm. "You can ask him yourself, Ashlynn." Scully took William by the shoulders and lightly pushed him forward. Scully stepped back, and Mulder came behind her. He wrapped his arms around his wife.

"Do you want to play over my house?"

"If it's okay with my mommy and daddy." William turned around to look at Mulder and Scully for the answer.

"You go ahead William." Scully said with a smile. "Just go upstairs and change."

"Ashlynn you can come in honey to wait for Will." Ashlynn smiled, and Scully invited her into the kitchen. "Did you eat dinner yet?" Ashlynn nodded and sat at one of the chairs at the island. She was tugging at the drawstring on her pink jacket. "Would you like some cookies?"

When William was over Ashlynn's he realized how different both of their houses were. Ashlynn didn't really talk to her mom the way William talked to his. They weren't that close. Her mother was nice, but she wasn't as motherly as Scully was to William. Although William didn't want to admit it, Ashlynn was his best friend. He favored her over all the guys at school. But it wasn't just that they were friends because they were neighbors. There was something about her. They were so different from each other, and they had their fair share of arguments.

"I think our son has his first crush." Scully said as she was pulled into Mulder's arms on the couch. The TV was on, playing some reality show that neither of them really was paying attention to.

"You've been saying that." Mulder chuckled.

"Don't you think so?"

"I do. I love how he continuously says that girls are icky." Scully giggled, remembering the previous night how Mulder had told him, 'tough luck.' "You know... he looks at her almost the same way I look at you... but he just seems a little more curious."

"What do you mean by curious?" Scully was blushing and grinning up at Mulder.

"You know... like he doesn't understand. He's beginning to notice girls." Scully smiled and leaned up to kiss Mulder on his jaw line. "I just hope he finds a girl like you."

"His perfect opposite." Scully smiled and stroked Mulder's cheek, pulling his lips to hers at the same time. She giggled as they kissed.

"What?"

"Nothing," And she pulled his lips to hers again in a soft and slow kiss. What 'nothing' really meant is that she was giggling at how simple that moment was between them. It seemed so simple compared to that morning.

---**  
Ugh, the next chapter we find out about when the court hearing is. AND There's going to be some rising trouble involving Anna and Tom.... putting William in danger.  
And Ashlynn and William! AWWWW! lol. How cute are they!? Again, sorry for the grammar mistakes. It's late... and I have no one to read this write now. I doubt my sister would want to.**

**--A.**


	9. Court Pt1

**I wanna thank you all for my reviews!! This one's a sad chapter! I mean, what did you expect? Okay, so I know what I'm doing with the whole court slash William thing. It's going to be sad... then happy.... and after that super sad again then SUPER SUPER HAPPY/CUTE. :)**

**I'm so stupid when it comes to starting new stories... but I'm working on them during alll my free time. Fall Play has ended. Musical doesn't start until January and it ends in March/April (Just auditioned yesterday... CROSS YOUR FINGERS!). I'm helping out with the Middle School musical too (which just like the HS Musical, will be from January to March/April.) I have an audition on Sunday and if I get cast that show would be done in February. But, I have another audition in February and that show should be in April... or May. Enough with my busy schedule... (But if you're lucky when I'm uh... say 24 I'll be on a hit show that would hopefully be close to the AWESOMENESS of X-files. :D lol)**

**Summary:  
William is haunted by terrible dreams that reveal too much about the truth. (Super Soldiers/Black Oil/Alien Invasion). But what happens when after a class project on imagination this goes to the FBI? William gets taken away from his abusive adoptive parents, and Mulder and Scully are on a mission to get, keep, and protect their son from the danger that is sure to come.**

**Ch9. Court Pt. 1**

Scully woke up with Mulder's one arm around her waist. It was calm outside their window while the morning light streamed in through the shut blinds. William slept in his bed, and there were no problems. That Sunday, which was the second Sunday following Thanksgiving, was their first day in court. Scully hated putting her and Mulder's six year old through this. It was torture to her. She half smiled and woke Mulder up with a light kiss on his lips. A smile escaped onto his lips. She knew he wasn't really sleeping. Again, like so many other times before, he was faking.

"You weren't asleep," She said, her lips still against his, her eyes shut.

"Yes I was," He groaned, but with a smile. Scully's face nuzzled into Mulder's neck.

"I'm going to wake William up. Go get ready." Scully pulled out of Mulder's arms and slid herself out from under the covers, placing her feet on the cold hardwood floor. It was kind of cold in the house; she figured the heater would kick on soon. Scully grabbed her robe that was hanging on the door and pulled it on.

Scully heard the shower start as she walked across the hallway and into William's bedroom. He slept peacefully. His lips were slightly parted, with a little bit of drool coming on to his pillow. His small hands clutched spooky.

"Baby, it's time to wake up," Scully whispered, caressing her son's cheek. William's big blue eyes flickered open. Scully had a very small giggle as she peered down at him. He looked so adorable with his messy hair. "You have to take a shower before we go."

"Do we have to Mommy?" William asked, pouting. He wrapped his arms around his mother and climbed onto her lap. She sighed. Scully wasn't really looking forward to this.

"I'm afraid so, sweetheart." William pouted. "But can you go take a shower, please?" He nodded. "Okay." Scully picked her son up and carried his sleepy body into the bathroom where she ran his water.

Scully was dressed in a pair of navy slacks, a plain light blue shirt, and a grey blazer. She applied her make-up carefully, and Mulder waited in the bedroom for her. When she came into the room, she saw him sitting on the bed, fumbling with his thumbs.

"What's on your mind?" Scully's face softened as she took a seat next to him.

"Mulder, I'm not ready for this."

"Do you have butterflies?" He patted her tummy as he tried to make a joke.

"More like bats!" She let out a sigh. "I'm not ready for this. My whole character... your whole character... is going to be torn to shreds in that court room. I'm not emotionally ready for any of this." He caressed her cheek with one hand, and with the other he held onto her wrist. Her lower lip trembled under his gaze.

"We're together in this Scully. We're not going to lose our son without a fight. We're going to fight until we win the right to keep him. Our character being shredded is just all a part of this process; it's inevitable." She nodded and looked down, unable to take his stare on her. "Look at me Scully, we're going to be the strongest we can for William, but it won't be a crime to cry."

"I don't want him-"

"I know, I know..." He pressed his lips onto Scully's, softly. "Do you want to have that talk with him that we talked about?" Scully's head fell and she whispered her yes. "William," He called loud enough that William would be able to hear him from downstairs. "Come up here please." In a moment and a half the sound of William running upstairs could be heard.

"Sweetheart, can you please go put on the clothes I laid out on your bed?" Scully smiled at her son as he stepped into the room.

"'Course Mommy!"

William ran into his room to change out of his pajamas and when he came back his parents were now standing in front of the bed, holding each other.

"Will, why don't you sit down on the bed." William did as he was told and sat in front of where his parents were standing. Mulder nodded to Scully.

"Honey, you know why we're going to court today, right?" William nodded. "Why?" She wanted to make sure that he understood exactly why.

"Because they're trying to take me away from you."

"And?"

"And I don't want to go."

"No, sweetie... and Anna and Tom are trying to get custody of you." William looked confused. There was no way a six year old would understand what that word meant. "That means that they want to be your parents again." He understood. Tears were coming from his eyes. "William, please don't cry." William sniffed and nodded. "But we're going to try so hard to keep you, okay?" William nodded again. "Now, do you know remember what we talked about with our lawyer, Olivia Modell?" William nodded. "You understand that you're going to have to answer questions?" He nodded. "Baby, some of those questions you may not be comfortable with, but you may have to answer them."

"If it means I get to stay with you and Daddy I will." William wiped his eyes again, to get rid of the tears that had not yet fallen.

"Baby, please don't cry." Scully knelt down in front of him now, and Mulder sat beside him on the bed. William buried himself in Mulder's shirt. He held onto his son like he was a floatation device. Scully's heart felt like led in her chest. There was so much suppressed emotional pain erupting from her now as she saw her little boy crying. "I love you. I never told you about when I found out I was pregnant with you, did I? Well, when I first found out I was expecting a baby I was scared, excited, and nervous and I didn't know what to expect. I couldn't believe I was going to be a mother. When you were born I thought you were the most beautiful baby I had ever seen. I fell in love with you instantly from the moment I learned you were inside of me. And when I held you and you looked up at me... I couldn't believe it." He pulled away from Mulder shirt and was wiping his eyes with a slight smile.

"William, I remember the first time I held you after you and your mother was out of the hospital. Do you want to hear about that?" William nodded. "Okay... well, you were about this big," Mulder showed him with his hands. "I remember your mother walking up to me, holding you in her arms. You looked so fragile and you were in this really soft blue baby blanket. You were starting to cry. Your face was all scrunched up and you were making these noises. So, your mother handed you to me. Now, I was so nervous. Here I was, getting handed a tiny baby who was just beginning to cry. I was so nervous that I wouldn't be able to calm you down, and you were my son." William was smiling. Scully had come to sit down next to him and he was now in her lap, clutching on to her long red hair. "So once you were handed to me, your big blue eyes just stared up at me for a moment and I thought you were going to really start crying. I stared back down at you."

"Your Daddy had this incredible face of awe on." Scully added with a smile.

"And you didn't cry anymore... right when you saw me. William, you were truly the most beautiful baby I ever saw in my life. After that moment, I knew I would love you forever. I would have more love for you than any father could have for his son." Mulder pulled William close to him and kissed his forehead. "I love you."

"I love you too, Daddy. And I love you too Mommy." Scully sniffed and bent down to kiss her son's forehead as well.

"I love you too, William." Scully pulled William up to stand on the bed. "Aren't you hansom?" She asked with a smile, her hands on William's cheeks. He was wearing black dress pants, a belt and a blue button down shirt. "Now, when you get put on the stand... which means when you are getting questions asked to you by both lawyers you're going to get sworn in, okay? You're going to put your hand on the Bible and say 'I do.' Alright?" William nodded. "Now you have to tell the truth about everything, okay?" William nodded again. "I know you will. And honey, it'll be okay to cry. Don't try too hard and hold it in." William latched on to Mulder's neck and allowed him to carry him to the car.

The whole car ride to the court house was silent. The only words that were exchanged were when William was getting out of the car. He was going to be walking in with Skinner and Mrs. Scully.

"We'll be in there shortly," Mulder said to his son once William was about to get out of the car.

"Okay. Hi, grandma... Mr. Skinner."

"Now, how long am I going to drive this car around for before we go in? We've got a full tank of gas." Mulder joked as he began to resume his driving. Scully sighed, which made Mulder see how nervous she really was. Her hands were shaking in her lap. He grabbed one and brought it to his lips for a kiss. "How long? I'll drive as long as you like."

"Forever." She sighed again and Mulder gave her a grin.

"Done."

"Maybe for five more minutes. I just need to calm myself." Mulder leaned over and kissed the corner of her lips while still keeping his eyes on the road.

After roughly seven minutes of driving, Mulder and Scully were finally walking up the steps to the court house. Mulder's arm was securely holding on to Scully's waist. He had to hand it to her; she was quite good with putting up that fake façade.

"Dana," Mrs. Scully said walking right up to her daughter and pulling her into a hug. "Fox," She pulled Mulder into a hug as well and then kindly smiled at the two, lifting their spirits only a little. William clutched onto Scully and asked to be lifted up. "Honey, are you ready for this?" Scully looked down, away from William's blue eyes. He knew so little of what was going to happen in the court room. Scully just shook her head. She didn't want her six year old to know anymore. She pressed a kiss to his temple. They walked in together as a family, Skinner included. After all he done for Mulder and Scully in the past and now in the present, he could only be considered a member of the family.

They sat on benches inside the building but outside the actual court room. Mulder's arm was around Scully's waist and her head rested perfectly on his shoulder. She was in a daze while her son sat on her lap, stroking her red hair and telling funny stories to his grandma, which weren't at all humorous, just funny because they came from an adorable little boy.

"Five minutes," Skinner warned, as he checked his watch. Scully's hands began to shake again and Mulder caught them immediately. Her lower lip trembled.

"Will, can you get up for a second please?"

"Why?"

"Please, baby?" William got off of his mother and watched her with worried and curious eyes as she walked away. Mulder followed behind and he caught her wrist, spinning her around to him.

"It's going to be fine," He whispered.

"No Mulder, No." Mulder brought Scully into his chest where she sniffed and whimpered, but didn't cry. "I can't do this. I can't do this, Mulder." Her voice was cracking.

Mrs. Scully was trying to hold William back but he was just too quick. He ran up to his parents and pulled on their shirts.

"Don't cry Mommy!" William was on the verge of tears himself. Scully gulped at seeing how intense her little boys blue eyes were at that very moment, realizing her eyes probably mirrored his. "I'm going to love you no matter what. And I'm staying with you both no matter what! I don't care what the people have to say!" William threw himself against Scully and began crying.

"Baby, don't cry." Scully picked William up in her arms and kissed his tears away. "It's okay, look I'm not crying." William pulled back and smiled a little. "Can you go to the bathroom with Daddy before it's time to go in the court room? Your eyes are all red." William wiped his eyes with balled up fists.

"Okay, Mommy. But don't you cry while I'm gone." Scully giggled.

"Okay, baby I won't."  
As Scully watched William and Mulder walk away hand in hand she realized something very important. She couldn't prepare herself for what was about to happen. There was no way. What was going to happen was inevitable. She was going to be strong for her little boy, no matter what.

**YAY? Poor Mulder family. Oh well, it'll be a happy ending... then sad... then happy. So be happy! **:D

**Twilight tomorrow! More than excited. I love Edward Cullen, Alice Cullen, Jasper Cullen, and Carlisle Cullen.... BUT MOST OF ALL EDWARD. I don't like Jacob.**

**Please revieww!  
-A. **


	10. Court Pt2

**SUper long wait, but I was going through a writer's block on this one. My apologies. But, tried to lighten the mood towards the end. Mulder and Scully deserve it. Now, I didn't proof read or anything, so beware of grammar mistakes. I'm gonna edit the grammar on this chapter later... I just wanted to get this posted so you wouldn't think I forgot.**

**There's a series of court hearings, so I didn't really elaborate much on this one. Mrs. Lea and Ms. Quinn... those two ladies from the first chapter were the only ones who took the stand that day.**

**Court pt2**

They all walked in together in silence. Mulder's arm was around Scully's waist while he held onto his son. Mrs. Scully and Skinner followed behind. It was a normal court room, huge and frightening to William of course.

Olivia Modell, their lawyer, was waiting patiently at the desk preparing her papers for her case. Dr. Brown, and the medical examiner, Dr. Luigi, sat in the benches along with two people who had flown down from Montana. They were William's teacher, Mrs. Lea, and the guidance counselor, Ms. Quinn.

William reached for his Mommy. Scully took one look at her little boys face when she took him into her arms. She studied his face, ignoring the fact that Anna and Tom were already seated with their lawyer. She saw so much fear.

"Baby, it's going to be fine."

"Mommy... it's all so big." He whimpered. Scully could understand. He probably felt like an ant, seeing the huge podium like thing the judge sits behind. "I don't wanna leave you or daddy or grandma or Ashlynn or any of my friends."

"We're going to give everything to make sure that doesn't happen okay, buddy?" Mulder said, soothingly, joining in the conversation, and smoothing William's hair. "You're going to have to go sit with grandma now, okay?" William nodded.

"William, come sit by me. I miss my handsome grandson." William gave a slight smile and walked over to his grandmother once Scully released him.

Scully stood as still as she could as she watched William walk off, going behind the gate, to get to his grandmother. Mulder took Scully in his arms, and she didn't move. She just looked after him. He kissed her forehead, and that's finally when she turned to face him. Their foreheads pressed together.

"You ready," he whispered.

"Of course, not, but I'll be fine."

"Sure?"

"Mhmm." He took her hand and led her to sit by their lawyer. Soon enough, court was called to order. Lawyers, Ms. Modell, and Mr. Harlequin made their first opening statements, both with much audacity and then were seated. Ms. Quinn was called to the stand first.

At the start, the case was leaning toward Mulder and Scully. Hopefully, it would remain that way. She spoke about how rude and appalling Anna was in the office that one day in November. Majoring in psychology, she was able to evaluate a person. She saw Anna as a potentially abusive parent and Tom as the pushover father who harvested feelings for his boy, but yet was also a potential abuser. She commented that it was sad because William is such a nice young boy and that he didn't deserve that for a family.

"He deserves an actual family. I have seen those three together and whenever I looked at young William's face I saw fear, sadness, and hopelessness. You don't need to be have a major in psychology like I have to know that is not right."

Mrs. Lea said almost the same thing, but described William's behaviors in the classroom, describing him as a nice young boy who cared for others, but rarely had his parents involved with anything.

"It's not healthy. That is not the way to succeed. Now, he is a bright young boy, but he needs to be enriched at home. He can't grow in any way if he is not loved. William does not in any way deserve neglectful parents nor does any child for that matter."

The whole 2 hours dragged on and William felt like he was going to sleep. He was leaning on his grandmother's arms, eyes almost closed.

After what seemed like forever, court was adjourned to next week. The judge had said that Mulder and Scully would receive visits at unexpectant times from a social worker, just to observe William's home life.

Scully stood up and breathed a sigh of relief once she realized that she nor Mulder had given the prosecuting side a chance to rip away at their character. This first day didn't make it any easier. There was no way she would ever be able to prepare for court. William ran over to her quick as lightening, despite his tired state.

"Mommy, can we go home now. Please?" Scully chuckled at how tired William looked. His mouth formed a perfect circle as he yawned.

"Of course baby," She sighed and scooped him up into her arms. He rested his head on her shoulder. His eyes closed.

"Mr. and Mrs. Mulder," Mrs. Lea called across the hallway, catching the small family before they left the court building. William was already sleeping. Scully handed him over to Skinner, since her mother had already gone.

"Hi, Mrs. Lea," Scully greeted with a tired smile.

"Please, call me Gillian," Gillian said, with a smile. She truly admired these people for the love they seemed to be giving William. He looked so much happier and healthier now that his living arrangements hand changed. She didn't understand or questions the reasons behind them giving up their little boy, nor did she want to. She was sure she would learn soon enough in court. But honestly, it didn't really bother her. Mulder and Scully seemed like kindhearted people with good intentions. She could trust it was at the time, for the best.

"Gillian," Scully amended.

"I want to thank you for flying all the way out here to come help William." Mulder's words struck her. He said, 'help William,' rather than 'help us.' They deserved William more than anyone on the planet (and outside for that matter) and that was clear. She pushed her dark auburn hair back.

"William, like I said was my favorite student. I want you to know that I wouldn't be doing this unless I knew for certain that you both are suitable parents. He loves you both; I can see that. He's so much happier, healthier." Scully fought her hardest to remain untouched by her words, but she couldn't help it. The tears burned her eyes. She had to wipe them away. Gillian would understand. "I'm sorry."

"No, no... it's fine." Scully smiled. "Actually Gillian, William told Mulder and I both how much he enjoyed your class."

"He was always a Gillian to have."

"How long are you in town for?"

"As long as this trial takes... the school's fine with it. They've found a sub and everything." Scully's hand flew to her mouth.

"Are you sure?"

"It's fine." She smiled back, looking down at Scully. She was towering.

"Well, then you should really have dinner over our house, shouldn't she, Mulder?"

"Of course, that would be wonderful."

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's not imposing when you're invited." Scully said, grabbing Mulder's hand, and smiling at William's former teacher. "Besides, I'm sure it would make William happy."

"Well, that would be nice. Did you mean tonight?"

"Yeah, sure... tonight. I have your number. I'll text you the address." Scully said, pulling Mulder away to where Skinner stood.

When the small family of three got home, Mulder carried William upstairs to his bed, while Scully went to go change. After Mulder was in a pair of sweat pants and a T-shirt he came downstairs. He found Scully laying on the loveseat with GSN on the TV. Chain Reaction was on, but it held little interest to Scully, who was trying to get some sleep.

"Need some company?" Mulder whispered, pushing her hair out of her eyes. She smiled.

"I'd love some."

They got situated so that Mulder was lying down, his feet hanging off the side, and his head resting on the very comfy and squishy arm rest. It was a good pillow. Scully was tucked beside him on the inside, her head resting on his chest, enjoying the rhythm of his even heart beat. Mulder pulled up her white Henley long sleeve shirt a bit and began tracing circles on her hips.

"I can't sleep." She whispered, tracing her fingers along his tanned arm, causing goosebumps to appear.

"Want me to lull you?"

"Lull me?"

"To sleep," He chuckled, and she felt the vibration in his chest. Instead of waiting for her answer he began humming a random tune and continued the circled on her hips. She smiled, closing her eyes.

"I'm in love." She murmured, kissing his chest through his grey t-shirt.

"As am I."

---  
"Mommy, can you read me this book?" William asked as he sat on his regular stool at the island. He waved 'The Giving Tree' up in the air, a book Scully had bought him.

"We read that so much Will. Don't you ever grow tire of it?" Scully laughed as she continued to stir her special marinara sauce she had gotten out of a dust-collector cook book Mulder had received from Scully's mom.

"But Mommy it's my favorite!" William almost yelled. He was really excited for that book. Scully smiled. A mother's dream, her son excited about reading.

"Of course I'll read it to you baby. Just give me one more minute," She threw in one more dash of pepper. Mulder snuck up behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing one firm, innocent enough for William to see, kiss on her neck. She giggled; her weak spot was always his target. William was giggling just as hard as his mother. "Here, taste," Scully said, picking up the wooden spoon with red sauce on it. She blew it and held her hand under it as she fed it to Mulder.

"Mmm, delicious," He commented and pecked her on the lips very quickly.

"Does that mean you get to read now?" William piped up.

"I guess it does," Scully said, turning the burner down low. She kept her white 'Something smells MMM good' apron on and took a seat next to William.

"Ohh, story time," Mulder said, rushing over to the two. William had crawled into Scully's lap and she had her arm around him, with the book in front.

"Daddy, you can listen too! Mommy, can I read the first line? I remember how!"

"Okay honey, show me and Daddy how smart you are."

"Once there was a tree.... and she loved a little boy." He looked up at his parents with a wide smile, awaiting his congratulations.

"Good job, Will!" Mulder said, sounding truly amazed.

"You're so smart, baby! But you know who that tree reminds me of?"

"You!"

"Why is that?"

"Because you love your little boy, me," William cheered, pressing a kiss to his mother's cheek.

"Hey, what about me? Doesn't mommy love her big boy.... me?" Mulder faked his hurt and pouted. Scully and William giggled in perfect harmony.

"I love you too big boy," She said while laughing. "Moving on... And every day the boy would come-"

"Mommy, I know this one too!"

This whole thing went on until William nearly finished the book by himself. His mother and father helped with a few words he stumbled over, but he knew them for the most part. There was no doubt in Scully's mind that he would've finished if it weren't for their company arriving. Mulder went to open the front door. Gillian walked into the kitchen.

"Mrs. Lea!" William cheered, waving at his old teacher. Her smile brightened at seeing how happy he was. He was sitting in his mother's lap with a book in front of him.

"Hey, Will! Hello, Dana," Mrs. Lea said with her bright smile revealing her teeth.

"Hi, Gillian," Scully said, getting up from the stool, William still in her arms. "Dinner's ready." She tried removing William from her arms but William only wrapped his legs around her legs even tighter, refusing to let go.

"Mommy, I want to finish the book, please!" William begged, not letting go still. Scully readjusted him in her arms and walked over to the book to see how much they had left, not that much.

"Go ahead Scully. I'll serve dinner," Mulder said, kissing Scully's cheek and ruffling his son's hair. Of course William ended up finishing the book all by himself, but he still wouldn't let his mother go.

"William, you have to let go so you can eat your dinner. Okay, baby?" William pouted.

"Okay, Mommy." William let go of Scully and went to sit by his father for dinner.

When dinner ended William asked if he could go over Ashlynn's and Mulder and Scully both let him. OF course, they had to bundle him up like an Eskimo first. It was around 23 degrees out. Scully, Mulder, and Gillian drank their coffee at the island.

"Those are really nice pictures he drew," Gillian said, point towards the pictures on the fridge. "He seems happy. But I couldn't help notice how clingy he is." Scully looked down, saddened that it was so obvious.

"We consulted with a doctor, a friend of our two friends. He believes that William is like that because he was been neglected and now he needs as much love as he can get."

---  
Mulder and Scully both tucked William in. Scully sat on the side of the bed, while Mulder knelt by William's face. William was holding his mommy and his daddy's hands. It was dark in the room, but in the far corner, William's blue night light glowed.

"Mommy, Daddy," William said, closing his eyes as he yawned. "How come it doesn't seem like Ashlynn's parents love each other as much as you guys love each other." William joined Mulder's hand with Scully's. They exchanged a glance.

"No one can love any one the way your mommy and I love each other." Scully smiled.

"William, different people express their love in different ways. They might not be very open about their love in front of guests."

"I'm sure they love each other, William. It's nice that you're worrying about her."

"I don't have a crush on her." William said stubbornly, crossing his arms. He knew what both of his parents were getting at. The corners of Scully's lips turned up, and she bent down to lay a firm kiss on William's cheek. Mulder did the same.

"Sweet dreams, honey." Scully said as her and Mulder both got up.

"Night, bud."

"Honey, we'll leave your door open."

Scully waited for Mulder buy the door as her shut the blinds on William's windows and French doors, first making sure they were locked.

"Night, Mommy. Night, Daddy. I love you."

"Love you too." They both said simultaneously, taking each other into their arms as they walked into their room.

Mulder and Scully climbed into their bed, under the comforter and blankets. Scully was tucked into Mulder's side, and her hand rested above his heart, feeling the beat.

"Want me to lull you?" Mulder said as he did before. Scully giggled.

"I didn't exactly have that in mind," She angled her head to look at him. He smirked, catching her drift.

She maneuvered out of the place on his side to straddle his hips. Her silk button down sleep shirt easily slid off of her shoulders, leaving just her camisole. Mulder was beaming. The minimal light that seeped in through the closed blinds hit Scully perfectly, heightening her beauty. She licked her lips and intertwined her fingers with Mulder's before her lips slowly lowered their selves to his. Slowly they parted and their tongues came into play. Mulder flipped Scully over so that he was on top. He kissed her so hard that she knew her lips would be somewhat swollen. His lips moved along her jaw to her throat where he had fun. His kissed, licked, and sucked, while she squirmed beneath him. She had red mulberry marks all over. He chuckled as he began kissing her collar bone.

"Mulder," She whispered as low as she could. William probably just fell asleep. "We have to be quiet." She warned.

In one swift movement he tugged off her pants. She wrapped her legs around his waist and arched her bag to press herself hard into him. He groaned in satisfaction. She bit her lip and pushed herself against him instead.

Mulder's hands found her back and he pulled her up to his naked chest. Her fingers tangled in his hair as their lips crashed onto one another in a fast rough kiss. She rocked her hips, causing a moan to escape her lips.

Scully forgot about everything, all of her nagging concerns, court, Anna and Tom, and the ticking of her biological clock. She only focused on what was happening that moment. She only focused on Mulder. It was like they were playing baseball again, but this time in was more of a contact sport.

**BED TIME! :D Yeah, I'm really tired. I might proof read this tomorrow so.... the grammar wont be that bad for long. SOrry for that and the wait. Reviews make my day. :D  
I love you reviewers. Please hit the button again :)  
-A**


	11. Christmas Tree

**Taking a little break from the actual storyline... until the end. Because William needs to get his first Christmas Tree and decorate it.  
Enjoy. Please R&R.**

Christmas Tree

"Mommy, daddy, wake up!" William said, shaking his mother awake.

"What is it, honey?" Scully asked, sitting up in a hurry. It was just beginning to get light in the room. It was probably around 7. He crawled up onto the bed.

"Are we getting our tree now?" Scully fell back down onto her pillow, and Mulder busted out laughing at how exhausted his wife was. William looked confused.

"You are excited for that tree, huh sweet heart?" William nodded energetically, despite the early hour.

"I never had one before," William admitted, hanging his head low. Mulder sat up and frowned at his son.

"No tree?" William shook his head sadly. Mulder had to pull his son into his lap. He pressed a kiss to his forehead. Scully grabbed her son's hand and gave it a tight squeeze.

"You really want to get it now?" William nodded slowly, and pressed his cheek against his father's collarbone, hugging him. "Okay... let me and Daddy get ready. You get ready too. I'll make breakfast, and we'll leave in about 2 hours... or however long. Okay?" William smiled Scully's favorite smile. Scully took that as a yes and kissed his cheek. He jumped off the bed and ran back into his room to get ready.

Just as Scully heard William's door shut, the next thing she knew Mulder was pressing his lips to hers in a deep kiss. It was going to be a splendid morning. She let his moist lips press against hers for a moment before sliding her tongue over his lower lip for entrance. When their lips parted their tongues battled, and Scully's hands tangled up in his hair.

In a matter of time Scully was downstairs in a green turtle neck sweater and jeans, and Mulder was beside her on the couch clad in a sweater that was just a shade darker than the green she wore, and black jeans. They waited for William to finish up his breakfast in the kitchen.

"I'm done!" William triumphantly announced from behind his parents.

"Did you rinse off your plate and your glass?" William nodded, pointing to the sink. "You're such a good boy," Scully complimented with a smile. "The best boy."

"What about Daddy, Mommy?" William asked as Scully went to the door to pull on her black Ugg boots that waited for her by the vent blowing warm air.

"Daddy's a man," She laughed as her warm boots slid onto her feet. Mulder did the same as she did with his black boots, but he unfortunately didn't have the luxury of Ugg Australia. Scully pulled on her black wool pea coat, tying the best around her waist, and waiting for her sons next question.

"When do I become a man?" He asked innocently, appearing very adorable in his red sweater, now covered by a puffy black jacket, a hat, gloves, blue jeans, and black boots. Scully smiled at her son, and then looked to Mulder for help.

"Well, Will... right now you're just a boy, but you're becoming closer to becoming a man every day," Mulder answered as if it was simple, or at least in his fatherly instincts to answer this type of question. Mulder opened the front door and William ran out into the winter wonder land of snow. The sun had just rose completely and it reflected sparkles off of the glistening snow into every which direction. William jumped around as it fell around him. Scully giggled watching her son, but Mulder was waiting for the next question.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, it's the little things. Like... whenever you first learned to tie your shoes... getting good grades in school."

"Your first crush," Scully added with a smile as she put William in his car seat. William sighed out loud in a frustrated manner. Scully and Mulder were never going to let it go, and William was never going to quit denying it.

They drove for a while, and William continued with his questions until they arrived at the small tree farm. William, for once, didn't want to be held. He instead, ran ahead, dancing in the snow.

"Don't run to far ahead, sweet heart," Scully called after her son. Mulder grabbed her hand, and his was surprisingly warm against her cold skin. The parking lot wasn't that full, and there weren't that many people around that early, so there was no problem with him running a little ahead.

The image was perfect. People were staring at the small family of three, admiring the simplicity. Mulder held Scully's waist as they walked in the chilly weather, keeping an eye on their son. Scully looped her arm through Mulder's and kept her hand in her pocket. They talked mostly about his Christmas presents and how eventful their Christmas would be with the whole Scully clan coming over right after church. William skipped ahead jumping and kicking in the snow until he found the perfect tree. It was a Douglass Fir dusted in white snow.

"I want this one!"

"Are you sure Willie?" Mulder asked with a smirk, which told Scully he was up to something.

"Yes, Daddy."

"Well, are you going to be able to cut it down?"

William looked down to his feet, now disappointed. He had the biggest frown on his face as he mumbled, "No."

Scully smiled and playfully hit Mulder square in the chest. "Mulder," She scolded with a giggle. William looked up.

"I'm only kidding buddy. I'm gonna cut it down. You're gonna help me though, right?" William eagerly nodded his head.

In no time their tree was cut down and Mulder was dragging it all by himself to the place where they would wrap it up in the netting. William had suddenly grown tired and he was now resting his head on Scully's shoulder as she carried him.

Once they had gotten home, William was fast asleep in his car seat. Scully carried him upstairs to his bed and had redressed him in a comfortable pair of grey sweatpants and a black t-shirt. She laid him down to bed and then went to help Mulder carry in the tree, which was already half way in the door.

"Mulder, I told you I would help you get it," Scully said as she rushed to helping him. Their tree wasn't going far. It was going to be in the front room adjacent to the fire place where their stockings hung.

"It's fine." He reassured her from on the other side of the tree. He grunted in frustration from carrying the tree, "Leave it to our son to pick the heaviest tree." He heaved.

When their tree was finally sitting upright in the stand Mulder and Scully both took a step back to admire it. Even without the lights, ribbons, and ornaments, the tree was a beauty. The aroma of pine needles filled the house, truly making it seem like Christmas.

Scully hung up hers and Mulder's jackets in the hall closet. She shivered. It was pretty cold in the house.

"The heater should be kicking on soon," She called out to Mulder who was now getting them both hot chocolate in the kitchen. The microwave beeped letting him know that their warm drinks were finished.

"I'll get a blanket," Mulder said once he sat the two Christmas mugs down on the glass table behind the couch. Scully grabbed her mug and curled up on the couch, awaiting Mulder to return. In a matter of seconds he came back with a magenta, forest green, and yellow, flannel blanket in his arms. He dropped it around Scully and then crawled on the couch next to her. She cuddled into his side, refusing to let go of her warm cup.

About 2 hours later, William had come downstairs and was all excited about decorating his first Christmas tree.

William impatiently bounced around wow Scully dressed the tree with pretty colorful lights and big fancy ribbons. But soon William was able to help put the icicles on, and then cover the tree in Christmas ornaments.

But while William was decorating the tree and while the Christmas music blared from the stereo, there was a knock at the door. Scully jogged over to open it.

"May I help you?" Scully asked the short woman, shorter than her, who stood outside in the cold blizzard weather. She had short, just above the shoulder length, mousy brown hair. She had on a plaid pencil skirt, matching jacket, a black scarf, and Sarah Palin style eye glasses at the bridge of her nose. In her right hand she carried a black briefcase.

"Mrs. Mulder, my name is Janine Hart. I'm your court appointed social worker."

"Yes, of course, please come in." Scully walked over to the stereo to turn the music down a lot lower. "I'm sorry; we're in the middle of decorating." Janine looked over to see William and Mulder playing around the tree, laughing as they hung up ornaments. She smiled, and that was definitely a good sign.

-**please review.  
-A.**


	12. Chapter 12

**DISCLAIMER: I, in now way own the X-files. However, if Chris Carter would like to cut me a share.... I have NO problem. (:  
DUDE, how mothereffing long did it take me to update. Super long. Let's just say I've gotten a little sidetracked and I apologize. Plus, I've been stuck on this chapter for so long. I don't watch court shows. But, I finally got it done. Now I'm uploading it in between working on my bio homework, which is super long. This chapter is super long too. Is anyone still interested? I came p with such a great ending, so I hope you are. (Anyways, I think it's great.) So, if you're still reading; please review. I have a pretty good feeling that I'll be more on top of updating.**

Court pt. 3  


William was sitting on his bed in the dim morning light, which had crept in through his windows when Scully stepped in, clad in her dark purple silky robe with the match pajamas. She smiled, seeing her son rubbing his eyes with balled up fists. She instantly remembered how he would do so as a baby.

"How did you sleep sweetheart?" Scully asked, walking over to William, and wrapping an arm around his small body. She hugged him, the memory she had just remembered not leaving her psych.

"I slept good." He yawned, now returning the hug to his mother.

"What do you want to eat for breakfast?" William smiled, letting Scully know what he wanted without uttering a single word, "Yours and Daddy's favorite?" She guessed; William nodded. "Mommy's apple pancakes?" He nodded excitedly again, sleep leaving him almost completely.

"Okay sweetheart, go wake Daddy up." William did as he was told while Scully made her way downstairs into the kitchen.

William crept silently into the bedroom. He saw a mess of dark blue blankets on the bed and knew his father was somewhere in that mess. He could see his bare leg. William came up on Mulder's side and gently shook him awake.

"Daddy," he whispered. "Daddy," he whispered again, causing Mulder to roll on his side, now facing Will.

"Daddy's tired, Will." Mulder said, eyes still shut.

"But, Daddy... Mommy's making our favorite for breakfast." His eyes finally opened, and William smiled.

"Apple pancakes?"

"Yep."

"You should've said so in the first place, Will." William giggled and ran to the bathroom door to retrieve his father's black robe.

"Here you go, Daddy."

"Thanks, Buddy."

Mulder carried William down the steps in his arms and made his way into the kitchen where Scully already stood mixing the pancake batter. He sat William at the island, and William watched his father go up behind his mother, wrapping his arms around her and then nuzzling his face to her neck.

"Morning, Scully," Mulder said, followed by a kiss on her neck, causing her to giggle. She spun around in Mulder's arms and wrapped her arms around his neck. Then, she saw William in the corner of her eye. Immediately, she smiled at her little boy.

"Wanna help me, Willie?" William, his eyes never leaving his parents, nodded excitedly. Scully walked the bowl and wooden spoon over to her son, who then began stirring. She cocked her head to the side and smiled at her loving husband who waited for her at the counter. She took a few steps forward until she was in front of him, and she stood up on her tippy toes, pressing a tender kiss to his lips.

"Morning, Mulder," She said against his soft lips. His hands began playing with her soft long red hair. "You have that job interview today, remember?" He nodded, as her lips still lingered on hers. "I'm getting off early, so I'll be here when William gets home from school. Then, we can all have an early dinner." Her speaking slowed, "Then off to the court house." Mulder pressed his lips to hers reassuringly.

"I love you," he whispered, but before she could answer, she pushed herself away from his arms and took off to the downstairs powder room. Mulder was on her heels. William hopped down from his place at the island and ran after his parents in shock. He stopped at the bathroom door when he heard the noises of his mother emptying her stomach into the toilet.

"Daddy? Mommy?" William asked nervously with a hint of fear lingering in his voice.

"Will, everything's okay. Go back to stirring the batter, please."

Mulder held Scully's hair back for her as she finished. His other hand rubbed her back up and down.

"Are you finished?" Mulder asked in a soft tone. Scully's face that was once full of color moments ago was now pale. She nodded slowly. "You think you're coming down with something?" He helped her up to her feet. He leaned against the wall next to the towel rack. He held her against his chest. "You were fine just a few minutes ago."

"I haven't been feeling right the past few days."

"Why didn't you tell me this?"

Scully shrugged. "It's nothing, Mulder... really. It's flu season."

"Do you think you're coming down with it?"

"I hope not. I'll take it easy at work today... and I'll be good for court."

"I don't care about court. I want you better."

"I'll be fine. I'm just going to go upstairs and brush my teeth so I can finish breakfast. Okay?" He nodded. Scully always knew what was best for her. There was no reason to argue.

The snow fell peacefully outside, and Scully sat in the front room idly looking out the window. She was tired. She was munching on an apple, which sat with the corer beside her. It was around 3:10, and William was to be home any second. Scully turned around from the window and picked up her book, 'The Last King of Scotland.' Not ten seconds later, she heard a car door shut. She turned to look out the window to see who it was, even though she already knew. Once she saw William walking happily up the walk way all bundled up, she got up to go to the door.

"Hi, Baby. Did you have a good day at school?" Scully asked tenderly to her son after she shut the door behind him.

"Yep," William answered as he began taking off his hat, gloves, and scarf. "Mommy, I'm in the Christmas play!" William was beaming brightly at his mother

"You are? Wow, who are you gonna be?"

"I'm one of the three wise men."

"Aw, that's exciting sweetie. I can't wait to see it. I'll have Daddy bring the video camera and-"

"Where is Daddy, Mommy?"

"Daddy has a job interview, remember? Scully and William were now in the kitchen. William had his homework in front of him as he sat at his place at the island watching his mother.

"But I want Daddy to play with me... not go to work."

"He'll still be able to play with you, Will. He's just gonna work too." William pouted. And Scully sighed, not knowing how to cheer her son up. The day already wasn't going to be that great with the court and all. "Hey, Daddy will be home in a few minutes." William finally smiled, causing Scully to as well.

"Can I have my snack, Mommy?"

"Actually, sweetie... I'm gonna start dinner right now. We're having lasagna." Just as Scully finished that sentence the door opened. William's face lit up.

"Daddy!" He jumped down from the high stool and ran right into his father's arms. Scully smiled and followed her son, but not as fast.

"Hey there Willie. I guess you missed me, but did your mother?" Scully raised an eyebrow and wrapped her arms around both her husband and her son.

"Of course not," Scully said with a smile before kissing his lips.

"Yes she did," William said with grin. William ran off into the kitchen leaving his two parents alone. "Feeling better?" She nodded.

"Just a little tired now."

Ashlynn came over minutes later, and the two children went upstairs to play in the bedroom, leaving Mulder and Scully both downstairs by themselves. Mulder sat in the dining room, paying the bills that had come in the mail that week, while Scully began dinner. Once Mulder began calling it quits on the bills, he began to watch Scully hurrying about in the kitchen. She seemed like such a natural at it all. It never failed to amaze him what a wonderful wife and mother she was. She already had three chicken breasts in the oven, rice on the stove, and green beans on the stove too. He got up from his seat at the table, placed his glasses down, and walked over to Scully, who was still hurrying about. He wrapped his arms around her waist in an attempt to soothe her, and he rested his chin on her shoulder. She closed her eyes and leaned into him.

"Slow down... you're only going to get even more tired." She nodded.

"We can't be late today, Mulder. We just can't. Today counts the most." He pressed several tender kisses to her neck.

"We're not going to be late, Scully. I promise you that." She then spun around in his arms to face him, and she got up on her toes to press a kiss to his lips, but that's when they heard a scream, followed by another scream.

In an instant, they left each other's arms to dash upstairs to William's bedroom. Mulder was leading the way, but Scully's was following closely behind. Mulder would've knocked down the door if it wasn't already slightly ajar.

Both parents calmed down at once when they saw the two children perfectly safe, just sitting on the bed. Both Ashlynn and William were hugging their knees to their chests, which made them wonder.

"William! Ashlynn! Are you both okay?" Scully asked in a rush, her hand resting on her forehead.

"We heard screaming. Is everything alright?"

"We're fine, Mommy... Daddy."

"I just saw a spider." Ashlynn pointed to the corner of William's dresser.

"We heard two screams," Scully said, as Mulder went over to the dresser to investigate.

"Ashlynn pushed me down... but I didn't scream."

"Yes you did. You screamed like a girl."

"Look who's talking, you are a girl!"

"Rather be a girl than a scared boy who acts like a girl." Mulder, who had just triumphantly let the spider out the window, came over to Scully and wrapped his arm around her waist and they watched the two bickering children. They let it continue to see if they could sort out their differences, but Scully decided to put a stop to it all when a serious battle of 'am not –are too' went on.

"Hold up hold up." Scully said, trying to suppress her laughter so she would maintain the appearance of an adult. "William, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being a girl."

"Yeah, bud... your mom's a girl and I love her." Scully smiled.

"And Ashlynn... why did you push William down?"

"I screamed when I saw the spider, so he called me chicken. Then I pushed him towards it." Ashlynn said in her small voice, pulling at her pig tail.

"Aw, sweetheart... you shouldn't have pushed him." Mulder said softly and then turned to his son. "Will, you shouldn't be name calling, should you?"

"No, Daddy."

"I think you should both apologize to each other," Scully said, leaning her head against Mulder. He still had his arm around her waist.

"I'm sorry, Will."

"Me too, Ashlynn."

"Well, Mommy and I are going back downstairs. She has dinner –"

"Dinner!" Scully yelped, remembering she had items on the stove and in the oven. She took off out of the room, heading back for the kitchen. Mulder finished his sentence and followed after her.

"William... do you like me less than your other friends because I'm a girl?" Ashlynn asked softly. It took William a while to answer back, either he was thinking of an answer or to engrossed with his legos, which he played with across the room. Ashlynn hopped off the bed and came closer to him and sat down next to him on the floor.

"You're my best friend... my first friend here besides my mommy and daddy and Mr. Skinner. But I guess they don't really count."

"No... I guess not. So I'm your favorite?" William nodded, and in turn Ashlynn grinned widely. It remained quiet in the room for moments. The two children were both thinking. Ashlynn was the first to break the silence. "William... are you leaving me?" William had told Ashlynn about the court issue, but never went into depth, because in truth he didn't know everything. He did say however, that his old parents were trying to take him back.

"No." He said, understanding. "My mommy and daddy aren't gonna lose. I'm not leaving you."

"Are you sure?"

"Positive. You're my best friend. I wouldn't lie."

"Promise?"

"Yes."

"How do I know you're telling the truth?" They were both sitting cross-legged in front of each other now. "If you're really telling the truth you'll... kiss the wall." William shrugged and walked over to the wall. When he kissed it she scrunched her nose up like she smelt something putrid. "You'll kiss the floor." William got down in front of her, and bent to the floor to kiss it. This time, Ashlynn giggled. He retook his cross-legged position in front of her again and looked her in the eyes. She was still smiling. "Kiss me."

"What?! Why? Nooooo."

"Then you're not telling the truth. You are leaving me." She crossed her arms and pouted, sticking out her lower lip.

"No I'm not. I'm here to stay."

"Then prove it." Without saying another word William just quickly leaned in closer, not repositioning his legs at all, just now placing a hand on either side of her. His lips pressed against hers for about a second, then pulled away. They opened their eyes at the exact same moment and they both smiled.

William scrunched up his nose like he was appalled with himself, "That wasn't that bad."

"Of course it wasn't. Now you really can't leave. My mommy says a boy doesn't just kiss a girl and then leave. You can't leave!!!"

"I told you I'm not leaving."

"William, you're my bestest friend ever!" She flung her little arms around him in a hug.

"William! –Time for dinner!" Mulder yelled up the steps for his son.

Ashlynn quickly pulled herself away from William and was first to get downstairs. William followed right behind her. Mulder and Scully were both waiting by the door. Mulder had Ashlynn's coat and was holding it out for her, so she could put her arms in.

"You're really smiley, Ashlynn. You too Will." Scully commented as Ashlynn slipped her arms through the coat. "Ashlynn, tell your mother and father that Mr. Mulder and I say hello, okay?"

"Okay, Mrs. Mulder." Ashlynn hugged both Mulder and Scully and walked out the door, first turning around and saying, "Thank you for having me over. Bye Will!"

"You're Welcome," Mulder and Scully both said at once.

"Come on, William. It's time for dinner." Scully said.

"Mommy, you go ahead. I have to talk to Daddy, real fast."

"I can't hear?"

"It's boy stuff, Mommy." In an instant, Scully knew what her son wanted to talk about. She nodded and walked off to the kitchen.

"What's up, Will?"

"Daddy... I sort of kind of kissed Ashlynn." William thought he would have a hard time admitting it but it sort of just slid off his tongue. "I don't know why. She has cooties. But now Ashlynn said I definitely can't leave her because her mommy said that boys don't kiss girls and leave." Mulder's eyes were wide. He was stunned, but definitely proud for his little man, even if William wouldn't admit his sense of pride he most definitely was feeling.

"Do you like her?"

"She's my friend. She's an icky girl too!"

"Bud, I kiss your mommy all the time."

"That's different Daddy!"

"Aw, my little man's first kiss!" Mulder lifted William onto his hip and carried him into the kitchen. Scully already had his dinner at the table.

William sat at the table and started in on his chicken breast. Mulder walked over to where Scully was washing her hands at the sink. He came up close behind her, pressing his body against hers, but still keeping everything appropriate for their six year old. He leaned his head to her ear.

"Will just had his first kiss. Do you think it's time I teach about the birds and the bees yet?" Scully's eyes were wide, just like Mulder had been. Her shocked expression soon faded into an amused one and a small giggle escaped her lips. She spun around and hit Mulder with the dish towel in her hands.

----

The car was silent as the small family parked the car in front of the white courthouse building. William, who was growing increasingly upset, refused to unbuckle himself. Instead, Scully went around to his door, unbuckled him, and pulled him out of the car. William, in his big winter jacket and ear flap hat, clung to his mother's side, burying his face in her black wool pea coat.

Mulder wrapped his arm tightly around Scully's waist as they started up the steps to the building. When they got inside, along with the heater blowing warm air at them, they were greeted by both Skinner and Maggie Scully.

Mulder peeled off William's jacket and hat and took him away from his mother. Scully walked in with her mother close to her side. Mulder followed her into the courtroom, keeping his eyes on her. From anyone in the room, they could see the longing in his eyes, how he longed to hold her, reassure her everything was going to be fine.

"Daddy," William whispered as Mulder set his son down on wooden floor of the courtroom.

"Yes, Will?" Mulder replied, looking down at his small son. Scully's blue eyes were staring up at him within his eye sockets.

"Today's really the last day, Daddy?" Mulder nodded. "I'm staying with you and Mommy." William then latched himself onto Mulder's waist, throwing his arms around him. Mulder got on his knee and hugged his son close. He could feel the stares from Anna and Tom on his back. They were the only ones watching, while everyone else gave him and his son some privacy. Mulder thought nothing of it though.

"Will, go give your mother a hug, okay?" Mulder said to William, now eye level with him. William nodded. "Tell her you love her." William spun around and took off to his mother where he wrapped his arms around her waist, surprising her. Mulder witnessed the wide grin spread onto Scully's lips. He grinned as she lifted him up onto her hip.

Soon enough, court was called to order. William was excused from the courtroom. The judge knew that he didn't have to hear any of it. Scully had her hand protectively in Mulder's the whole time up until she was called up to the stand.

"Counsel woman, Modell, you may call you first witness up to the stand."

"Dana Mulder." In that moment, Scully turned to Mulder, who gave her hand a tight squeeze of reassurance. Then she got up and proceeded to the bench. She swore in and then sat down. She kept her gaze on Mulder until Olivia began speaking. "Mrs. Mulder, you gave your son, William, up on November 26th, 2001 –is that correct?"

"Yes."

"Why is it exactly that you gave him up?"

"Well, when I had William, I had an established career at the FBI. As you can imagine, the nature of my work was very risky. It actually put his life endanger. He didn't have a choice being born into this life, but I did have the choice of the life my son would have." Scully was recalling the words she said to Monica the day she had made her decision to give him up. It was a day and a memory that she seldom went back to visit, and she had made the decision never to visit it again. The tears that were sure to come were held up behind gates, and by recalling the memory, the gates were ready to burst. Her throat tightened, and it was evident in her voice when she continued to speak. "And I was going to choose that he would never have to be afraid of anyone or anything." The tears began streaming down her cheek. Mulder watched her with sad eyes, but still wished he in some way could reassure her, even though her heart was breaking and there was nothing he could do. At the site of her, his heart broke as well.

"Did you think you made the right decision?"

"At the time, yes; I thought I did. I was protecting my son from all the dangers of my job. Now, after seeing my son again –I wish I hadn't."

"Why?"

"They hurt him." Her voice was cracking. The judge so kindly handed her a box of tissues, which Scully took with a thank you. "They scared him. William had gotten a shower before his first day at his new school. It was cold out that morning, so I took him upstairs to blow dry his hair with the hair dryer. As soon as I pulled it out he shrieked, shielded his face, and began crying. One day, he forgot to clean up his mess at the table and he immediately began crying. Another day he spilt his glass of milk and he looked at both his father and I with such fear.... and then he began to cry some more."

"Your honor, I have no further questions."

"Mr. Harlequin," The judge said Anna and Tom's attorney and he rose, coming towards Scully at the bench.

"Mrs. Mulder, you seem like a very nice mother." He said, starting it sugarcoated. "But the question remains, did you see your job to be more important than your son?"

"Of course not. I would've died for my baby. I still would. I risked my life for him countless of times."

"Then why let him go? Why not just.... just quit your job and work as something else?"

"It wasn't that easy."

"Explain it for us then."

"It wouldn't matter if I had quit or not. There were certain people whom my husband and I ran into during the FBI. They would try to get back at us no matter what." That was the best way she could phrase it without exposing anything that wouldn't need to be exposed in that particular court hearing.

"It is my belief that you had put your job first. Admit it. That's what you were thinking!"

"Objection! Your honor, Mr. Harlequin is putting words into my clients mouth!"

"Mr. Harlequin, make your point."

"Dana Mulder, gave her son up because her job was more important to her. I rest my case." And he sat down.

"Mrs. Mulder, you may take your seat." When she had stepped out of the stand, Mulder was already waiting for her, holding his arms out, which he took her in for a brief moment before they had to sit again.

"Ms. Modell, do you have any other witnesses?"

"I'd like to call on, Fox Mulder, William's biological father." Mulder swore in and took the stand. Scully's reddened eyes were unmoving, staying on him. Olivia crossed to the stand, her files in her hand.

"Mr. Mulder, why don't you tell us all why you left your wife and son after your son's birth."

"It was to protect them."

"To protect them from whom?"

"The same people who would harm our son if he wasn't given up."

"The people your wife had stated that you had encounters with while with the FBI?"

"Exactly."

"Mr. Mulder, I have right here the adoption papers." She passed a copy of them to the judge. "Can you tell me where on any of these forms your name is signed?" Mulder flipped through the forms.

"It's not on there anywhere."

"Then, by law... William is still yours. You didn't sign the papers."

"By law, William still is mine." Olivia smiled a smug wide smile.

"I have no further questions."

"Mr. Harlequin-" He rose, advancing towards the stand.

"Mr. Mulder, did you and your wife have a sexual relationship while you two were at the FBI?"

"Some of the last year we were together, yes."

"And it is against FBI policy to have two agents partnered together to be involved, correct?"

"Yes."

"So you two weren't married?"

"No. We got married last year."

"So, did you have any claim to William?"

"Yes, my name was on his birth certificate as his father."

"Your honor," Olivia interrupted. "I have William's birth certificate right here." She handed it to the bailiff

"You honor, I have no further questions."

Mulder returned to Scully's side, where they linked fingers underneath the desk. They patiently waited out the rest of the court hearing together, through Anna and Tom's accounts, that were mostly lies, and then through the social worker herself, who seemed to favor William staying with Mulder and Scully. Things were looking out; there was a light at the end of this dark tunnel they had to pass through before the holidays.

"Both counsels may make their final statements." Olivia was first she raised.

"You honor, I hope that when you make your decision on the behalf of William you will see the truth in both cases. The truth being that William belongs with the two people who had him first, who lost him, and now have begun to care for him once again. By the accounts of our witnesses, you should see that Anna and Tom were not loving and caring parents to William. Dana and Fox are the ones he belongs with."

"Your honor," Mr. Harlequin started. "The adoption papers were signed. My clients deserve their son back. William is their son. They are willing to seek help for any substance abuse they have done. Also, after the case regarding the evidence of abuse on William has come to a close, they are both willing to seek help and accept a punishment if one has been bestowed upon them. These are good people. They just want their son back."

"I have heard both sides. Now, I shall hear William's. Court is adjourned for two hours. During which I shall make my decision." She hit her gavel, rose, and went to her backroom.

William was escorted into the courtroom by another bailiff, but instead of walking with him, he ran to his parents. Scully and Mulder both smiled at the site of him running at full speed. Scully got down on her one knee and held out her arms, which he then jumped into. She hugged him tight, and picked him up and hoisted him up on her hip. Mulder hugged them both and planted a kiss on his cheek.

"Mommy, you've been crying." William said, stroking his mother's cheek. Even though she was caught, she smiled through it all. She was sure they were going to get William back. She knew it.

"I have Will, but that's okay. I just got a little emotional."

"What's that mean?"

"It means Mommy got sad," Mulder said, taking William into his arms and then setting him on the ground. "William, you have to go talk to the judge." William frowned and all of a sudden mirrored Mulder's panic face.

"It'll be fine sweet heart." Scully said, squeezing her son's shoulder.

"I'm scared."

"You don't have to be, buddy." Mulder said, taking his hand and leading him to where the bailiff stood in front of the door.

"I don't want to, Daddy!"

"Willie, baby, you want this to all be over, right?" Scully asked; now back down on her son's level. He sniffed and nodded. "Then you have to go talk to the judge. I promise you she'll be nice." Scully said, knowing well that she had no reason not to be nice to an adorable little boy.

"Okay..." William said, walking towards the door.

"Have a seat, William." The judge, whose name plate read Hannah Thompson, said, gesturing to one of the leather upholstered seats in front of her. She sensed the fear in his eyes, and smiled kindly. "Would you like some candy, William?" She pointed to the candy dish in front of her.

"Okay...Thank you." He said, taking a red foil wrapped Hershey kiss. He was loosening up.

"William, I'm just going to get right down to business. I'm going to need you to tell me who you would like to stay with and why. I need to hear what you want. You're the most important." He smiled. This was going to be easy for him.

"I want to be with Mommy and Daddy."

"Which ones?"

"My real ones."

"Mr. and Mrs. Mulder?" He shook his head rapidly. To which Hannah smiled. "Okay, why is that."

"Anna and Tom... hurt me.... they're scary. I don't like them. I want to be with Mommy and Daddy because they love me, and they love each other. They would never scare or hurt me."

"Well, that's all I needed to know, William. You're free to go now. Do you have any questions?"

"Can I please stay with Mommy and Daddy?" William, said, bouncing out of his chair and onto his feet.

"I'll see what I can do, William."

"Thank you."

----  
Everyone who was in court, spent the next two hours sitting out in the hallway. Scully was tucked underneath Mulder's arm. Her eyes were shut, but she wasn't asleep just yet. She was praying. Mulder knew that. He didn't dare speak a word to her. Besides, he was praying as well. William was sitting on both of their laps. His cheek was against of Mulder's collarbone, and he, unlike his mother had drifted into sleep. Maggie was off with Skinner and Olivia getting a cup of coffee. Just as they returned, the bailiff had called them into the courtroom.

Both sides had walked in. Mulder, Scully, William, and Olivia all stood behind their table, while Anna, Tom, and Mr. Harlequin did the same on the other side.

"I have reviewed both sides of the story, and have come to my decision. Based on all accounts and certain documents, I have come to one definite answer. William will go into the care of his biological parents," Scully, Mulder, William, Olivia, Skinner, and Maggie all beamed at the sound. "Fox Mulder and Dana Mulder. However, Mrs. Mulder since your signature was on the adoption papers, you'll have to sign a few papers after we're through here. Congratulations," She said with a smile and rose up, going back into her back room.

"Oh my gosh," Scully sighed as she turned into Mulder's chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. They kissed sweetly, quickly, but passionately, before taking their son into their embrace as well.

"I told you! I told you I would stay with you guys!" William half cheered. The small family laughed and both parents kissed their son at the same time. "Now, I don't have to break my promise to Ashlynn."

"What was your promise, baby?" Scully inquired.

"I promised that I would never leave her."

A very upset Anna and Tom flew into the parking lot of the apartment complex they were currently renting at. Both slammed their doors, and Tom went to the bag seat to grab a six pack of Coor's Light, a can already in his hand. Anna chugged down a large gulp as she swayed into the apartment building. She was already on her third can.

"I'm so fucking pissed off!" She yelled once she unlocked her door and waltzed in. Tom slammed the door behind them, rattling the whole wall, and making a picture fly down and crash at the floor. He threw the beer into the kitchen, exploding a few cans, making the contents inside spray everywhere. He angrily flipped the coffee table and swore at the top of his lungs. Then, suddenly, the bedroom window shattered, and it got Tom's attention seconds later than when it should have. He heard Anna shriek, so he took off down the small hallway, and turned into the bedroom, seeing two large burly identical men standing over her bleeding dead body. By the time his eyes flashed up to their faces, it was too late. They were already claiming him as their next victim.

**Dun Dun Dunnn. Some major drama is coming up. Everything is happening for a reason. (Keep that in mind) But uh, oh off-topic, but I landed to role as Peter Pan in Peter Pan at a local theatre group I'm involved in. Go me. (: Please, Review.  
-A**


	13. Chapter 13

**DISCLAIMER: I, in now way own the X-files. However, if Chris Carter would like to cut me a share.... I have NO problem. (:  
I was supposed to update sooner, but I've had a show and I got REALLLLY sick and have been trying to write while I was sick. But, I finally think I'm better. So here's the next chapter. It's all coming to a close. And this chapter is a long chapter with a very BAD surprise at the end. -_- R&R! **

It was Tuesday, the day after the final court day. It was a beautiful day outside, and with it being December 21st, it wasn't a good thing if you were looking for a white Christmas. However, the weather forecast was looking up...or rather, down. The majority of the town was praying for snow clouds and a white blanket over their lawns for Christmas.

Mulder sat in his leather chair in his spacious office. A duplicate "I Want to Believe" poster hung up behind him. Most other office officials had a thing of darts on their walls to occupy them, but they weren't like Mulder. He threw pencils up at the tiled ceiling. He had just gotten off the phone with the bakery. It was last minute, but since Scully was busy at the hospital and then had a doctor's appointment he was given the responsibility with calling every so often to see how things were going. They were probably annoyed. His phone rang. He thought something had gone wrong at the bakery. He answered in a hurry.

"Mulder,"

"Mr. Mulder, Hello."

"Hello, Judy." Judy was the secretary in the high school office.

"I have for you a senior named, Doug Ramsey. Can you take him right now?" Mulder looked at the digital clock on his computer screen. It was 1:00. He was getting out of there at 1:45. He had time for Doug.

"I can. Send him in, Judy." In the five seconds it took Doug to walk through the door Mulder had aimed a pencil up at the ceiling and shot it straight into the panel. Doug walked in. He was a tall lanky guy, dressed in basketball shorts and University of Maryland hoodie. He must've played basketball. His face was thin, blank and expressionless. His cheeks were naturally blushed. His hair was short and a very light brown, almost blonde.

"Have a seat, Doug." Mulder said, now scooting into his desk. Doug was staring up at the pencil filled tile above Mulder's head. His eyes then went to the wall behind Mulder where all his certificates were. He briefly scanned over the Oxford ones, and then his eyes fell upon the FBI Academy one.

"So you're a senior, Doug... any idea what you want to do outside of high school."

"Actually," Doug said, pointing to the Quantico Certificate on the wall. "I want to go into the FBI... and become a criminal profiler after college at Maryland. Mulder smiled a genuine smile. "Did you like it there? I heard a rumor you were an agent and a criminal profiler."

"Really, who did you hear that from?"

"People talk."

"Well, yes I was. To answer your question I did like it there. I loved the job and met my wife there –she was my partner." Mulder turned the framed picture on his desk around. It was a picture of the three of them laughing in the leaves. It was taken on Thanksgiving.

"And that's-"

"That's our son, William."

"You have a nice family, Mr.-"

"You can just call me Mulder. So, why are you in here today?" Doug's face fell.

"I was sent here by Mrs. Debolak."

"You must know why she sent you here."

"Yeah..."

"Well I don't have a clue."

"It's really... hard for me to talk about it."

"Well, I have until 1:45."

"It's just... hard for me to find someone who understands."

"My life's been through the ringer a few times, Doug. Try me." Doug took a deep breath and he looked up so that his blue eyes met Mulder's green. His emotions were wavering. For a moment, Mulder was reminded of his wife and son.

"Did you ever lose your sister?" Mulder froze and his heart skipped a beat. His mouth went dry and he didn't know what to say. There was one thing though. Mulder turned another picture frame around. This frame held Samantha's school picture from when she was eight, the year she disappeared.

"She uh –she disappeared when she was eight and I was twelve."

"That's not funny."

"No it isn't." Mulder's eyes spoke to Doug, and in an instant Doug knew that his new guidance counselor was telling the truth. The phone rang; it was Scully on the caller ID. Mulder decided to take the call. Scully wasn't at all well that early morning. She was in the bathroom throwing up from 5am to 7am. She had scheduled a doctor's appointment, but that wasn't until 1:45. "I'm sorry Doug, hold on a second. I have to take this."

"Mulder," He answered.

"Hey, it's me." Scully said faintly on the other line.

"Hey, I'm with a student right now. How are you feeling?"

"A little better. I'm just a little dizzy that's all. My appointment was rescheduled for tomorrow, so I can pick up Will's cake."

"Well, Scully if you aren't feeling well I much rather I pick it up."

"Mulder, I-"

"You're fine. I know, but I don't want you driving like that." He could hear her on the other end, giving up with a sigh.

"I'll see you when you get home. Love you."

"I love you too." Click.

"Wife?" Mulder nodded.

It was 2:15 when Mulder had rolled into the driveway right next to Scully's car. He went around to the passenger's seat and picked up the cake box. It was pretty large, large enough for about twenty-four people. The get together they were having was very last minute, but they felt it was appropriate, considering the fact that they had their son back. Also next to the cake there was something else that he grabbed, a bouquet of a dozen red roses. He was just too damn happy that he had his son back, that he couldn't resist buying something for Scully. Besides, she wasn't feeling well.

He hummed his way up the path to their front door and into the house. The cold weather wasn't even bringing him down. He opened the door to their house and went straight to the kitchen to put the cake away into the fridge. Then, with the roses still in his hands he set off to find Scully. He figured she was in the bedroom, and he was right.

When he swung the door open her head whipped around. She was sitting on the bed surrounded by mail, which she was sorting. To her left was her outfit for the party. Her back was facing him. She opened her mouth to speak, but he caught her up in a hard passionate kiss. The flowers went to sit on top of her outfit. She spun around in her place so that her legs were dangling off the bed. Their tongues were moving together in a rhythmic motion. He was enthusiastic. Scully could tell that he had a very good day. His hands went from the back of her neck onto both of her thighs, where he spread her legs, positioning himself in between them. She fell back onto her back and the kiss was broken for oxygen necessities. She panted as he hovered over her.

"How are you feeling?"

"After that kiss?" She was grinning as she pressed her lips up to his. Just as the kiss was about to deepen by the parting of their lips, Scully pulled away. "Did you pick up the cake?" Mulder nodded and hurriedly pressed his lips back on hers. She wrapped her legs tightly around his waist and rubbed against him, making him groan. His lips trailed her neck, pressing feather light kisses.

"You know Scully... we haven't fully celebrated for getting William back completely."

"No... We haven't." She lay below him, and as his lips were kissing at the skin around her collar bone, he undid the first button of her white collared button down. After the first button was done, Mulder continued with the rest in a hurried pace. Scully's fingers tangled in his hair as his tongue slid on her milky white stomach.

He got up, straddling her, and looked at how she was positioned underneath him. Her long red hair was sprawled out around her head, and her eyes were sparkling as she looked up at him. Her breathing was labored, and she rested her palms on his thighs.

"You know you are just so beautiful?" He whispered in awe, still admiring her beauty, the way her hair laid out around her, her eyes, and soft complexion. She smiled and came up on her knees, putting her hands on his shoulders and leaning into his lips where she kissed him gently. Her tongue slid across his lover lip, asking for entrance, which he granted her. The kiss lasted two mere seconds before his lips traveled down her neck again. She got her hands working at his black workpants. Mulder got his fingers working at her tan slacks and pulled them completely off her legs and tossed them to the side when she was flat on her back. Mulder kicked his pants off and thrust against her even though they were still clothed. He grunted in the back of his throat and she sighed out.

"Fox? Dana?" The voice that interrupted said, as the door opened. "Oh, Goodness." The woman turned around and shut the door behind her in a hurry.

"Mother!" Scully complained and Mulder rolled off of her and found Scully's outfit for the party. He handed it to her, and then went to fetch his own clothes.

"Dana –I'm... sorry. I'll uh- be downstairs."

"At least that didn't go any farther," Mulder said with a chuckle as he turned around. Scully sat up quickly while rolling her eyes at him. Seconds later she was clutching her head. Mulder was at her side. "What's wrong."

"Vertigo or something, Mulder. I'm fine." He wasn't buying it. His lips were pressed into a hard line. "Mulder, I sat up too fast. That's all." The fact that his almost nude wife was in his arms didn't faze him. He wanted to hold her close. He pecked her on the forehead and got up to change into some clothes. "So, you got the cake?"

"Yes, Scully I got the cake. I told you that."

"I'm just making sure. So," Scully checked the digital clock on their nightstand. "It's 2:45. Mom's here. Other people should be arriving shortly, and William gets home at 3:10."

Mulder and Scully both walked down the stairs together hand in hand at 3:05. Scully wore a tan cowl neck sweater and dark wash jeans. Mulder wore a green sweater, which made his forest green eyes really stand out, and a pair of dark wash jeans. As they walked downstairs they had begun to realize all of the people that had arrived. Bill and Tara must have arrived because both Mulder and Scully caught a glimpse of ten year old Matthew walking by. The twins, Tristan and Tyler were both heard from in the kitchen yelling about something. Michelle was trying to quiet them. Charlie must've been their too and two year old, Lakyn. A cry came from the living room, it was Tara's baby girl, Sarah. At hearing the sound of the cry, Scully smiled longingly, Mulder took notice. He squeezed her hand reassuringly and they walked right into the living room.

Upon their appearance into the living room, Mulder and Scully both got a round of congratulations on getting William back. Hellos and hugs were exchanged. Then, as Scully had Lakyn in her arms, the doorbell rang. Everyone was silent, thinking it was William. They all hurried to the corner, and Lakyn left Scully's arms to go with her mother. However, Mulder and Scully opened the door to see Monica, John, and Alice. Scully looked relieved, but ushered them in quickly.

"Hi, thank you for coming!" Scully said with a smile, hugging two of her friends and their small daughter. "But William's com –oh here he is! Can you guys go where everyone else is?" Scully said, with a smile, her head spinning from running over there. Still, she held her composure. John, Monica, and Alice made their way into the living room. Scully opened the door for William who cheerfully ran up to the door with his book bag in his hand.

"Mommy!" Scully beamed and hugged her son once he was inside the house.

"Hi, baby... how was school?"

"It was okay –where's Daddy!? I wanna show him the picture I drew him!" William took off out of the entry way and into the living room without even taking his shoes and coat off.

"Surprise!" They all cheered, jumping out from the corner. William looked puzzled, but smiled anyways.

"What's the surprise?" Mulder laughed aloud and lifted his son up into his arms.

"Will, we're celebrating having you back for good."

Soon Ashlynn arrived with her parents, and she, William, Tristan, and Tyler were all playing together in William's bedroom. Lakyn was trying to play with Alice, as they sat together on the floor in the living room. Mulder was sitting with Scully on the loveseat, engaged in a conversation with John about the chances his team was going to win the super bowl. John was sitting on the chair. Reyes and Scully were talking about Alice. There was a certain inevitable longing feeling in the pit of Scully's stomach as they talked about her. Scully would glance over at Tara with her one month old, Sarah in her arms.

"Dana, would you mine taking Sarah... I'm going to go find Bill and Mattie." Tara said, standing up. Reyes had gone to the bathroom. John had ran off to the car. Just Mulder, Scully, Lakyn, and Alice remained in the room. Scully awkwardly took the baby into her arms as Tara went off in search of her family. She beamed at the little life in her arms and she sat back down on the loveseat.

Mulder sat next to her, and admired her adoringly. Sarah wrapped her tiny hand around Scully's pinky. Mulder scooted in close to Scully, wrapping an arm around her waist. He looked into her eyes, which were focused on Sarah's big blue ones. The certain spark in her eyes was missing, Mulder noted. He knew why. He knew what she was yearning for.

"Scully, you okay?" Mulder whispered, looking down at Sarah. She sighed.

"I'm just... a little hungry. I think I'll go grab a sandwich."

"You just had a plate of pasta. Are you alright?"

"Mulder I'm fine." Michelle walked in and held her hand out for Lakyn, seeing as she couldn't pick her up with her huge nine months pregnant belly in her way.

"Dana, honey... are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Michelle... thank you." Mulder scoffed and stood up. Scully scowled at him. He went to go stand against the wall and try to calm down so he could comfort Scully. He was just so frustrated with how she wasn't feeling well. He loathed seeing her even the slightest bit sick. Mrs. Scully entered the living room. In a hurry, but not too fast, Scully stood up, walked over to Mulder, handed him Sarah, and practically ran into the powder room.

The door was open, and Mulder and Mrs. Scully watched Scully worriedly. Mulder offered Sarah to her grandmother, and took his place next to Scully, rubbing her back and holding her hair out of the way as she vomited into the toilet.

"Dana..."

"Mom, your perfume! It's making me sick!" Scully yelled in a strained voice before hovering over the toilet once again for round two. Mulder shut the door to give her some privacy. After she finished, she kept herself over the toilet before flushing it. Then, she collapsed into Mulder's arms on the floor of the powder room. He already had a wet wash cloth ready to wipe her mouth. She remained still, refusing to show any sign of vulnerability. Mulder just held her close, knowing what she was trying to do.

"You need to rest," He whispered, his warm breath tickling her ear. She didn't fight back. She just nodded. He scooped her up into his arms bridal style, and carried her off out of the powder room and upstairs, rounding the corner to the bedroom. He helped her brush her teeth, and get changed into more comfortable clothing. He lay with her silently for a few moments, brushing her hair back out of her eyes and stroking her cheek, then she told him to go back downstairs in case they were wondering what was wrong. So he lightly kissed her lips, and told her he loved her before slipping out the door and heading down to where everyone else is. They were all sitting in the living room... all the adults that is –plus Sarah, Lakyn, and Alice.

"Fox," Mrs. Scully said, now standing up. "Is she alright?"

"She's just resting now... I think she'll be fine. It's been on and off."

"On and off-"

"She was supposed to go to the doctor's today, but her appointment was rescheduled for tomorrow. I'm gonna go bring her a glass of water."

As Mulder walked into the kitchen, he was followed by Michelle. Her hand was supporting her back as she approached him at the fridge where he was filling a glass with water.

"Mulder..." She said softly, coming up behind him.

"Oh, hey Michelle."

"I heard Dana say that the smell of Mom's perfume made her sick... do you... I mean... is there a possibility that she may be pregnant?" The question had caught Mulder off guard, but he didn't look away from Michelle's eyes.

"Well," He was just about to answer no, when he remembered that they had William when she was supposedly barren. Nothing was impossible. "Uhm... we'll uh –find out at her appointment tomorrow what's wrong."

"I'm just saying what I think. I remember what I felt like before I found out I was pregnant. And Dana –she reminds me of that."

"We'll find out soon enough."

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine... I'm fine." He almost chuckled at how much he must have sounded like Scully.

As soon as she was feeling better, Scully came back down stairs. No one mentioned what had happened, and for that, Scully was glad. Mulder stuck close to her the whole time, but made sure not to hover. He didn't want to upset her. The rest of the party went by smoothly, no more dizzy spells and no more vomiting. Around 8pm everybody was beginning to leave.

"Thanks for coming," Scully said, wrapping her arms the best way she could around Michelle, even though her big belly was in the way. She planted a kiss on her cheek before going over to her brother who held his sleeping daughter.

"It was fun, Danes. Thanks for having us. Congratulations," Charlie said, and added, "Take care... you looked a little pale today." Scully smiled sweetly, knowing her brother was putting forth the effort not to be worried.

Skinner, who had arrived later, had left, and they said goodbye to all their nephews, nieces, Bill, Tara, Ashlynn, Ashlynn's mom and dad, the Doggetts, and Mrs. Scully. William sat on the couch after everyone had left and watched an episode of SpongeBob. Mulder had sung along with the theme, but earned a scowl from Scully, who couldn't stand the show. Mulder laughed and kissed her on the cheek as she began placing silverware into the dishwasher.

"William, can you go take a shower, please?" Scully asked as she finished up with the dishes.

"When SpongeBob is over?" He asked, looking over the couch.

"I suppose," She replied, looking at the clock on the stove, seeing that it was almost 9pm. "Oh and Willie, we have to get your costume ready for tomorrow."

"Are you guys still coming to my play?"  
"Yep," Mulder said, nodding.

"I wouldn't miss it for the world, baby."

Soon, William had gone upstairs to take his shower. The news was on low in the living room and Scully was wiping up the kitchen counter. Mulder leaned up against the wall and watched her in awe. How did he ever land there in life? Out of everything that had happened, how did he obtain such moments of ease and simplicity? It was a question that baffled him daily.

She was finished with the counter, remaining still. She was perhaps admiring the silence as well. Mulder came up behind her, without her knowing and wrapped his arms around her, pressing his nose into her neck.

"How are there even moments like these for us?" He whispered against her, pressing a kiss to her neck at the same time. She melted. In his arms, she turned, pressing her hands and cheek to his chest.

"Everything's falling into place, Mulder... for our family. I just don't want it to be disrupted again. I know it will be though –we have that tendency. I have bad feelings about this whole thing about getting William back. I just know that now he's away from those people and that we can protect him better."

"The plan is the same, Scully. We're going to try our best."

"I know, I know. Once we get enough money saved up with our jobs... we'll leave everything. I spoke to Skinner today. Everything should be a go by next year." Her voice was soft, but growing softer with the fear that crept up on her.

"I guess that just ruins what I was going to suggest then."

"Hmm?" Scully said as her eyebrows knitted together in confusion. She pulled away from his chest to look him in the eyes.

"I saw you with baby Sarah today, Scully." Mulder sounded like he was praying his voice was so soft. He took her hands in his and held them against his chest, where Scully felt his steady heartbeat. "I know what you're longing... a child." She was silently pleading him to go on. It was like he was reading her mind. "I was thinking about adoption." Her head fell against his, and Mulder suddenly regretted his words. He felt the pain from her body going straight into his, as if it was something to be transmitted by touch. It flowed like an electric current into him, coursing his veins. He had upset her.

"Mulder," her voice was firm, unemotional. "The timings all off for a child, you know that."

"When everything is safe again, Scully..."

"When will that be?" He had no answer. She shook her head. "You're right, though. I... I want a baby so bad." Her voice broke off at the end, and she allowed herself to melt into his arms. Tears silently rolled down her cheeks, but she wouldn't tear her face away from Mulder's chest long enough to let him see. "William was asking me one night... why he doesn't have a little brother or sister. I didn't know what to say." He stroked her hair, smoothing it over her head. He had no idea what to say either.

"Look at me," He said, placing his hands on her shoulders and pulling her back a little. She angled her chin up to face him, to look him in the eye. "You have a beautiful little boy upstairs. I'm pretty sure any minute he's going to yell downstairs that-"

"Mommy, Daddy!" They heard a voice call out, alerting his parents he was ready for bed.

"Saying that he is ready for bed," he finished. "Get rid of those tears." Mulder began wiping the tears away with his thumbs. "Let's go kiss our son goodnight, come on." He leaned down and pressed a feather light kiss to her lips. She sniffed as he broke the contact gingerly. "I love you."

"I know, Mulder. You also know that I love you too."

Mulder turned off all the lights downstairs while Scully locked the three doors they had. Mulder checked the windows. All was well. Together they made their way upstairs into William's bedroom. He was kneeling against the bed in the dim lamp light, finishing up his prayers. When he got up, he turned around and saw his parents. He beamed.

"Alright, into bed, Willie." Mulder said. Scully giggled. There was always something about him saying 'Willie' that made her go berserk inside and giggle. Mulder pulled back his covers and he climbed in. Scully ran her hand over his head, feeling the dampness on his hair from his shower.

"Will, I think I'm going to have to blow dry your hair." Scully sighed, pulling her hand back. William moaned. This time, it wasn't because he was afraid of the hair dryer. He knew Scully wouldn't dare hurt him ever. But he really just didn't want to get his hair dried.

"Scully," Mulder placed his arm around Scully's waist. "He'll be fine. He's just going to bed." Scully always hated letting William go with damp hair. "He's not going out in the cold."

"You probably just want to get to bed, huh Sweetheart? You had a very exciting day today." William nodded. Scully knelt down by his bedside, running her hand along his jaw bone. "I love you, William." She kissed his forehead.

"Mommy, what happened today to you?"

"What do you mean, Baby?"

"You were sick. Why?"

"I don't know what happened, Will. But we'll know soon. I'm going to the doctor's tomorrow, okay?"

"Okay, Mommy. I love you too." He wrapped his arms around her neck and used that as leverage to pull himself up. He kissed her on the lips and then settled himself back on his pillow.

"Goodnight, Will. You have a big day tomorrow. You have your play!"

"I know, Daddy." William said, accompanied by a yawn. "Goodnight."

"I love you."

"I love you too." Mulder stooped down to his level and gave him a hug and a kiss before him and Scully both moved out of the room, attached by the hip. William fell asleep quickly in the dim light given off from the spaceship night light plugged into the outlet beside him.

---  
"It's snowing out!" Mulder, clad in only his boxers, said like an excited little boy, reminding Scully of William. He shut their curtains and climbed into bed. Scully was already in bed, in her purple flannel pajamas instead of the silk. She sat up propped up against the headboard, reading the latest issue of Woman's Day.

"Ugh, snow," Scully whined. "My car's in the driveway instead of in the garage. Stupid, stupid," She began getting out of bed.

"I'll scrape it for you tomorrow morning. Relax." She resettled herself back down. "Oh no. Scully, I should've seen this coming. You're going to become a Woman's Day wife and mother aren't you?" He asked comically, taking a peek at what she was reading. "'10 Easy Holiday Desserts'. You know what, never mind. That looks delicious." She smirked.

"Well, I mean if you don't want me to become a Woman's Day wife...." She trailed off in a teasing manner, closing the magazine and setting it on her nightstand. He leaned close to her.

"No, by all means... become a Woman's Day wife. It's kind of sexy actually."

"Really?" She leaned into him, her lips almost against him. He mumbled something that sounded like yes. "Well, Woman's Day did teach me something..." He kissed his lips lightly and traced her tongue along his lower lip.

"Woman's Day Magazine?"

"No, I lied." She laughed and moved her pillow so that she could lie down. "So what happened at work today? Anything exciting?" The both lay on their sides facing each other.

"Nothing unparticular, but I did meet a student named Doug. He was a senior.... basketball team... his sister was abducted."

"Abducted?"

"Not... abducted per say. I did ask the questions though. But, no... Not alien abduction. Actually, do you remember him? Doug Ramsey?" Scully shook her head. "I didn't either.... but the name just sounded too familiar after a while. He retold the story to me and I remembered him. I think it was probably in about 97' we investigated his case. It's weird... meeting him again. I didn't mention anything though." Mulder sighed. "But let's get to sleep. You have work for about an hour tomorrow, your doctor appointment, then Will's play." He kissed her forehead. They both turned to shut off the bedside lamps, and then they soon fell asleep, only to be awoken a short time later.

It was about 10:45 and then wind was howling. Suddenly, there was a huge crash, shattering glass. Mulder and Scully were immediately taken from their slumbers, and sat up in bed. Mulder, jumped up and ran to the closet, pulling out his gun from the top shelf in lightening speed.

"Why isn't William shouting!?" Scully shouted, running for the door. Mulder jumped in front of her, telling her to wait, as he dashed off to his son's bedroom, where there was indeed broken glass surrounding the large glass door and windows. "Shit!" Scully screamed, tears streaming down her face as she ran about the room.

William wasn't in his bed.

"I'm gonna fucking kill them." Mulder ran to the window, seeing two figures walking. Walking. They were walking as if nothing could happen to them. Mulder took off in the other direction, clutching his gun tightly in his hand, and he ran downstairs and out the door in nothing but his boxers. Instinctively, Scully ran to her closet, taking down her gun. She flew after Mulder and the two figures... and her son faster than she ever ran before. She didn't even half to think. Her feet just carried her.

---  
It was in a warehouse deep within in the ground. It was dark, with the exception of little light emanating from hanging industrial metal lamps from the ceiling. A pair of classy black stiletto boots clicked against the industrial metal floor. The woman halted at a glowing fluorescent tank where a man resided in some type of thick transparent slime that was gel like in consistency.

"Ms. Covarrubias?" One of the men in an army uniformed asked from the nearest exit, which he was guarding with the man beside him.

"You are all free to go. Guard the door on the other end." She hung her plaid tweed coat on a chair next to the tank as she made sure everyone was following out her strict order. Once everyone had left, and the led doors were shut, she typed in the pin on the key pad next to the tank.

0615931013.

The greenish fluorescent gel slime left the tank through several clear pipes, leaving a man with a tattoo that matched the pin number Maria had typed in on the keypad. '0615931013' inked onto his left arm. He was like every other man they had used, once dead, brought back to life by new found alien technology secretly tested by the government, but this one was special to her and to mankind. He had a job to carry out. He had a purpose.

He sputtered for a moment as he came back to the real world. He choked as he tried to get used to his lungs and breathing again. His head turned as if he had been filled with a burst of energy. His eyes landed on her. They burned into her as his memory came back, flooding his brain with thought. He recognized her. He mumbled something unintelligible. His speech wouldn't be understandable until about 7 minutes.

"Welcome back." She said as the tank turned so that he was now in an upright position. "You have an assignment." She said casually like it was a normal day thing for a man to be brought back from the dead. He must've realized that he was impaired when it came to speaking. He was getting frustrated with trying to speak. "Relax. You won't be able to speak for another 6 minutes. Then you can hurtle any nasty word you would like at me. But right not I need you to remain quite." She walked back to a table, grabbing a file. From it she pulled up a picture of William. "William Fox Scully-Mulder. He was taken from his home tonight... the story is very confusing right now, and I will explain it more in depth later but right now you just need to know the gist of it. He was taken by two super soldiers disguised as his ex-adoptive parents, Anna and Tom." She held up their pictures. "If he isn't brought back to his parents.... then the fate of the world is grave. There's about a 3 day window to get him back, after that... we stop. We need you." He began to mumble words.... words that were nearly understandable. "It's your choice. You side with whichever side suits you best in that moment. I know that. Make your decision." Her heels clicked out of the room.

**-AK.**


	14. Chapter 14

**DISCLAIMER: I, in now way own the X-files. However, if Chris Carter would like to cut me a share.... I have NO problem. (:**

It just hit me that I'm going on vacation for five days starting on May 5th... and most likely wont be able to update... but there's this internet cafe at the place I'm going for the first half of my trip. It took me a while to update, sorry. The only excuses I have are... school, projects, essays, studying, plays, acting, nice weather, illnesses (no I do not have swine flu) LOL and yeah.... This is a SUPER ANGSTY chapter. You've been warned. Please R&R

Mulder and Scully both chased for roughly 30 minutes, and then their son's abductors just seemed to disappear. Even then they still searched for another half an hour, all the while, Scully had contacted Skinner. Already he was organizing a team of trusted agents, himself, Doggett, and Reyes as the SACs.

It was just after one in the morning; Scully sat in on hers and Mulder's bed, sulking in Reyes' arms. Mulder, Skinner, and John were both cleaning William's bedroom after the room was looked over. Scully sat in a white silk robe with her wet hair, clutching to Monica. She would clutch to anything, just for the sake of holding on.

"Monica," She sobbed. Her voice muffled by Monica's grey t-shirt. "I... We just got him back and... Now we can lose him... all over again." Her face was beat red and as she cried. She barely allowed herself to even breathe.

"We will find him, Dana." The thought of if they didn't slipped through her mind and out just as quickly as it came.

"God... Monica, I love him so much."

"I know you do sweetheart. I know. We're going to find those bastards. You're going to have William back."

"Ch-Christmas, Monica. Christmas! He's going to miss Christmas!"

"We're only going to conc-" Scully left Monica's arms and ran to the bathroom, flinging herself down in front of the toilet. Monica dashed after her, rushing to her side to hold back her long red hair. Just then, Mulder came in and heard Scully relieve herself. He was at her side in a heartbeat.

"Dana," He breathed into her ear after taking Monica's place. "You okay? Are you done?" She nodded weakly. She was incredibly pale. Mulder took her under the elbow by one hand and wrapped his arm around her waist, assisting her to get up. Not even after a second of being on her feet she collapsed to the ground again. She was out cold. "Monica!" Mulder yelled for help to Monica in the bedroom.

---  
The tank had clicked open, and he was released. He stretched his arms, lifting them above his head to fully stretch his back. He groaned from the pure pleasure of being out of there. It was then he realized that he was naked. He found a set of clothes on the table next to the files along with some towels. He spun around the room, and located a shower in the far corner. Perfect. Now he was able to get off the entire slime residue left on his body.

"Scully," Mulder whispered over his wife. He was kneeling down on the side of the bed as if he was praying for her to wake up. A damp white washcloth rested on her forehead.

"Maybe we should take her to the ER, Mulder." Skinner suggested from the other end of the bedroom. He had just come in. The assembly of agents was taking place downstairs. Right now, John was leading it. Skinner had stepped away to see how Scully was doing, but he came back to find her unconscious.

"She has a doctor appointment in... well, at 8, but..." Skinner sighed in responsed and turned to head back downstairs.

She flickered her eyes open as her response of all the commotion she was hearing. Her vision was blurred. She remembered William being taken from her, and in a hurry she tried to sit back up. Mulder's arms forced her back down gently, while the throbbing sharp pain in her temple forced her back down much more forcefully.

"Hey, easy there," He said, running his fingers a long her cheek. "Scully," He said more firmly. "I'm worried about you."

"Mulder... it was just from all of that crying... I was barely breathing. It was nothing but a lack of oxygen flowing to my brain, but luckily it was restored. But that's unimportant-"

"Never say you're unimportant, Scully."

"I only meant where..." Her voice began to crack again. "Where William is right now is much more important than me fainting due to a lack of oxygen." She cringed at the feeling in her temple. "Has anything changed?"

"There's an assembly downstairs. Two agents are heading over to Anna and Tom's right now... though if I'm right that's going to do nothing." She raised an eyebrow at him.

"What aren't you telling me? What's your theory?" The tears relapsed themselves to run down her cheeks once again. "Mulder?"

"My gut is telling me that it wasn't Anna and Tom... it was but it wasn't."

"I'm not following –oh. Are you sure?"

"Pretty damn sure."

"Fuck. What are we going to do?" Her hands flew to her face, burying herself in them. She was having difficult time thinking.

"I'm having them put out a bulletin on any car that has gone missing within the last 24 hours."

"Our son, Mulder..." She reached for him again, and the tears began coming from his eyes as well.

---  
"Put your clothes on 0615931013." Marita said from outside the curtain enclosing the shower. When he did so he stepped out to face her.

"Why..." He was getting use to his speech again. "Why can't you call me by my real name?"

"Because it is no longer your name. Do you not remember?" She asked casually and sauntered back to the table where everything she needed was. "You were killed, murdered. We've brought you back to life. Really, you should be thanking us. Essentially, you will be when you help us."

"I'm not following."

"I'm going to ask you to think back... think back to when you were alive. Fox Mulder.... Dana Scully. Do you remember?" He remained silent, waiting for her to go on. "They had a child, William. You remember that. He was special. He had supernatural powers corresponding to the gifts he had been given, but he was never what they thought he was. He was given a form of magnetite to cease everything supernatural about him. He was normal, but they will never forget what he was –or at least what they thought he was." She held up his picture. "You have to retrieve him."

"And if I would refuse?"

"If you refuse the whole world is in danger. The colonization of our planet will begin before the designated date, and you'll be taken out back where your life will be ended once again. You'll be shot in the back of the head." He gritted his teeth. "Don't try to think of any more options. There aren't-" He cut her short.

"Where is he?"

---  
She had to sleep. She wanted to sleep. She was too tired for sleep. Scully tossed and turned on her bed with tears rolling down her eyes. She refused to lie down, but Mulder had begged her too. He was breaking, but he was trying so hard to stay strong for her. The saddest part of it was, she could see him faltering under his tough exterior. There were still no leads. She sat up in bed, hugging her knees together. It was seven in the morning.

"Scully, you have to get up and get ready," Mulder whispered tenderly as he walked through the threshold.

"For what?" Her voice was shot.

"You have your appointment at 8." She had forgotten.

"I don't want to go. I can't go. I'm a mess."

"You have too, okay? The moment something happens Skinner is going to call my cell phone. We have to find out why you are getting sick. There's something else... there was a lead on a car stolen about thirty minutes after... after William got taken, a red Honda civic 2007." Her eyes widened.

"How long ago did this come in?"

"About a five minutes ago." Scully headed over to her dresser and pulled out a pair of jeans. She went to their shared closet and pulled out a maroon zip up sweater and a plain white fitted t-shirt.

"So, what? They'll switch cars what? Every ten miles? Do we know yet what direction they're headed in?"

"Well, if I'm right... then no, they won't switch cars. They believe themselves to be invincible... which they are for the most part. They won't stop until they get where they're going."

"Which is where?" She asked hurriedly as she stepped into her jeans. He stepped closer to calm her down, pulling her into his arms. He knew that what he was about to say would frighten her. She started again. "And Mulder, how can we even trust these agents who are helping us find him, huh?" She was going hysterical now.

"Scully, you don't think that crossed my mind before? There's information we're not giving them. There're restrictions on what they're doing. Skinner is keeping tabs on them, and..." The tears were rolling down his cheeks. She was shaking in his arms with tears running down her own cheeks.

"I want to fight Mulder. I want to fight to get him back. I don't... I can't trust anymore. I haven't trusted. You're the only one I trust."

" First, we have to figure out what's wrong." He looked at her seriously, as if conveying another message through his eyes alone.

"Where are they going?" She said, her jaw square.

"To.... an area with... high UFO activity."

"No! Mulder, no!"

"I don't think they're taking him anywhere Scully. They're not going to torture him like they did to me. I can almost promise you that."

"Then why? Why to that area?"

"It's where-"

"It's me," Skinner voice said after he knocked twice.

"Come in," Scully said in a hurry. "Anything?"

"Mulder, this was addressed to you. I thought it be best that you read it before anyone downstairs. It was at the front door. All the agents are beginning to think it was a kidnapping because of this... and you've received a ransom note."

"I can tell them they're wrong. You know they are."

He tore open the large yellow envelope and dumped its contents on the bed, only to see that it held only two pieces of paper. He grabbed the first one and sped through it as Scully did the same over his shoulder. Then, he moved on to the second.

"-Tamira..." He whispered the name the letter was signed with. "Tamira... Mirata... Mir... MARITA! Marita Covarrubias. This letter is from her."

"Marita Covarrubias? Mulder... The last I heard of her she was dead." Skinner said plainly.

"That's a lie. I know that pseudonym. Who else would have access to all this information? Scully, it's going to be fine. Marita was working against the conspiracy, just like you and I were.... how you and I are."

"Mulder, I'm not..." His expression changed, and she saw the sadness in his eyes. She didn't want to be part of some never ending mass government conspiracy. All she wanted was her son. Mulder wanted both... he would always want both. "I'll meet you in the car." She got up from the bed and made her way into the bathroom.

"Her appointment is at eight," Mulder explained to Skinner. "Call me if anything happens. Call me the second you find out."

---  
After he pulled on his black leather coat, Marita handed him a single key. He pushed it into the key hole of the black Lexus before him, pulled open the car door, and took a seat on black patent leather seat.

"You're destination is already put into the GPS. All you have to do is follow the directions. You'll arrive at the airport and not speak to anyone. When you land there's going to be a car waiting for you outside the airport. This time it'll be a pearl black Aston Martin Vanquish. Everything will be put into the GPS for you. Everything you need will be in the trunk. When you get down in Arizona, you'll receive further instructions."

"If I get the boy..."

"When you get William," she corrected.

"When I get him... how do I get him to come with me?"

"He will, and if he doesn't do everything in your power to get him to. The protection of this boy means the protection of humanity. Get him back to Mulder and Scully as safe and quickly as possible."

"Do they know what is going on?"

"I sent them a message under a pseudonym of mine.

---  
Mulder and Scully waited silently and patiently in the drafty patient examine room. She sat all ready on the table in her paper dressing gown she was given. Mulder sat on the chair, which he scooted close to her. He held her hand in his. It was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. The clock beat rhythmically above the door. She was hoping to hear the sound of Mulder's phone go off. She was praying for good news. She nearly jumped when the doctor entered.

"Hello, Mr. and Mrs. Mulder," A tall woman, with a narrow face, and her hair pulled into a low bun said. "I'm Dr. Risenberry." Mulder and Scully both greeted the doctor politely. Dr. Risenberry shoved her hand into her white lab coat, which hung loosely over her royal blue blouse and high-waisted black jeans. She pulled out a black pen used for her laptop. She sat down in the swivel chair in front of the counter. She began touching the pen to the touch screen lap top. "So, Dana... I understand you are a medical doctor, correct?"

"Yes, that's right."

"You came in complaining about dizziness, vomiting, headaches, back aches... so in your own medical opinion, what is the matter?"

"Well, doctor I honestly have no idea. I've racked through each probable illness. The thing is, my dizzy spells and nausea comes and goes... so do the headaches."

"Where are your back aches?"

"Right here, my lower back," She rubbed her hand along her lower back to show Dr. Risenberry just where it was.

"Have you gotten a fever?"

"No."

Dr. Risenberry stuck the tip of the pen into her mouth as she contemplated her next move.

"Do you often get tired?"

"Yes, but I have a very stressful job... I'm a pediatric neurologist and have late surgeries on some days."

"Mhm..." She was thinking again. "Dana, when was your last period?"

Now Scully was thinking. It had been a while... before they had gotten William back.

"November 1st."

"Mhm... That's almost two months."

"Yes, and it's my job... and having my young son back with us... and a civil matter we had to deal with...."

"When was the last time you both-" Scully cut her short, her voice cracked, and her tears were back again, breaking through the well kept barriers she held for the last thirty minutes.

"I know what you're getting at, Doctor... but I can assure you. I'm not pregnant. I'm not. I'm not!" She was falling apart. All that was on her mind was Will. She couldn't have a doctor insinuating she was having a baby when she had just lost her baby boy... for the second time. Mulder stood up from his chair and brought her into his arms where she gripped at his sweater. Dr. Risenberry was taken back and surely felt bad. However, she didn't exactly understand what was going on. "I was told I couldn't conceive.... and then I had my son. I'm not pregnant. The odds are..." She trailed off.

"It seems you two need a moment. Dana, you're going to have to give us both a urine sample and a blood sample. I'm saying a possibility. I'm sorry if I've upset you. I'll be back in five minutes." She turned for the door and exited.

"Scully, I have to talk to her," Mulder got up and quickly went out the door, hoping to catch the doctor.

"Doctor Risenberry," He called out. She spun on her heel and returned in front of Mulder. "I'm sorry for my wife's reaction.. but you must understand. Our son... he was..." Mulder was silently struggling. "He was kidnapped late last night."

"Oh.... oh my God. I'm sorry." And she truly was.

"It's... it's fine. It's just really hard right now... really hard."

"Is there anything you'd like me to do...? I mean there isn't much but..."

"Actually, there is something..."

Mulder quietly shut the door behind him. Scully's back was towards him as she zipped up her jeans. He leaned up against the door and braced himself for the heartbreaking site he was about to see. She turned around slowly, and when he saw how red her face was his heart broke. His heart broke for her all over again. His mouth dropped and he walked toward her with open arms.

"Come here," He whispered and pulled her into his embrace where she only hugged him back. Her tears were falling and her eyes felt dry for the first time in hours. Maybe she just hit the limit on how many tears you were allowed to cry in a certain time span. Her bottom lip quivered.

"Mulder, I have to pee."

"Want me to get the cup?" He whispered against her red hair.

"You might as well..." She trailed off and pulled away from him.

"I love you." He said solemnly, taking her hand in his.

"I know, Mulder." Her hand flew to her forehead, but she wasn't in any pain. "Was there.... did Skinner?"

"No." She sighed.

"I'll go get the.... the thing."

A urine sample and a blood test later, Mulder and Scully were back in the waiting room. Her hands were both clasped in his. She was again eagerly listening for a phone call and praying for good news. She was praying for her little boy. Suddenly and finally, his phone vibrated in his pocket. Scully followed him out the door of the waiting room and into the hallway before the door leading outside.

"The car was just spotted on a highway in upper North Carolina..." He saw hope in her blue eyes. "They're going to try to stop it now."

"Dana Mulder," The receptionist peeked her head out of the door leading into the hallway. "You and your husband are expected in room five."

"Mulder, we're going to North Carolina."

"Skinner's pulling us some plane tickets now."

Scully took a seat on the table, just like she had before. Mulder was out in the hallway talking to Dr. Risenberry. For what reason, Scully did not know. Her legs dangled over the edge and swung back and forth rhythmically. She played with the zipper on her maroon zip up. Mulder came back in. His eyes locked on Scully's, but she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"Mulder..." She said, placing her hands firmly on the table, which she sat on, ready to push herself up from it.

"Scully, just.... stay there." Her eyes were staring into his, searching for some sort of answer. He took her hands into his and whispered, "We're going to... have a b-baby."

Her eyes widened and her lower lip and chin began to quiver. She felt a wave of different emotions surge through her. She was going to lose it. Scully had no idea how to take it, if she should be happy or sad. She was both. She did not know which she should be more of. The feeling which over shadowed the others was her fear. What kind of world was she going to bring her baby into? What would she or he be? Would she or he be like William? The tears welted up in her eyes and she clutched at Mulder's back. Over and over again she repeated his words in her mind, 'We're going to have a baby.'

"It's going to be fine," He soothed, purring into her ear as she shook with tears.

"Mulder, I'm terrified." She sobbed into his shoulder.

**So... please Review. Reviews make me happy. I think they make everyone happy. Oh, and if you were wondering where I'm going... I'm going to the Rhode Island Navy Base because my sister-in-law is graduating from OCS and then I'm going to New York City :D :D I can't wait. The only downfall is that David is in California right now. Damnit. **

**-AK**


	15. Chapter 15

**Disclaimer: I, in no way am affiliated with The X-files. I wish I was though! Chris Carter please cut me a sliver of the most beautiful franchise ever!**

**Had a lot of fun in New York City, but uh -David Duchovny should've been in California filming Californication -but he was in NYC that weekend too! It kills me that I was all over Broadway and down in SoHo, where he apparently lives. He saw "Hair" on Saturday night (May 9th?) and guess what! I didn't see him. FML, right? Knowing that I was in the same vicinity as David is weird. Anyways, this chapter is short, but please review anyways.**

"Dana," Dr. Risenberry started. Scully was calmed down, sitting on the table in the doctor's office. "With your age being forty-four and the way you've been feeling... it would be best if we schedule an ultrasound as soon as possible."

"I have to... I have to find my son." She looked over to Mulder who was beside her, squeezing her hand. "What time's our flight?"

"The earliest Skinner could get us was three thirty."

"So we get at the airport by one thirty. What time is it now?"

"Nine ten." She nodded.

"Can we do it today? Right now?"

"We only have two ultrasound machines here, but the one appointment is going to finish up in about... Oh I don't know ten minutes. Would that be good for two?"

"That would be perfect, thank you."

"Just wait in here, and I'll be back in shortly with the ultrasound machine and Dr. Heathrow, the obstetrician."

"We would be allowed to switch obstetrician's, right? My mother's friend..."

"Yeah, that'll be fine." And then she left. Scully hopped off of the table and settled herself into Mulder's lap.

"I know you just want to focus on saving William and finding him –and I do to, but now we have two little ones to worry about."

"This complicates things... it complicates things so much."

"I know, I know."

They just wanted to hold each other in silence. Scully felt fear for both of her children. William, whom she didn't know what was happening to him, where he was, or if they hurt him. Her unborn child, if he or she would be like William, if he or she would be in any danger, and further pregnancy complications.

Mulder felt the same way. He was raking through his brain, trying to come up with an answer on how to save his son, how to get him back. He kept drawing up blanks. They told William they would protect him. Why couldn't they do that? Once they got him back, and they would –they were moving. They were moving far away. They were changing their names. They were running again. They always run, running towards something an away from something. They ran away from the darkness and towards hope.

Scully lay on the table while Dr. Heathrow, the obstetrician, smeared the cool gel across her abdomen. Mulder's hand was clasping Scully's as her eyes remained close. She heard the machine come to life and knew it would only be a matter of seconds –she could feel the wand move slowly, steadily across her skin. Then, she heard Mulder gasp –he was in complete awe. He squeezed her hand and she opened her eyes. There was her new little baby.

"Well, you're about eight weeks along, which means your baby is about six weeks old," He chuckled, "That's fuzzy math pregnancy for ya."

Scully was still in awe with the screen, and so was Mulder. There was a black spot in the shape of a curved lima bean and right in the middle of it was a gray fuzzy image, their baby.

"Now, he or she has a little tiny heart that just divided into four chambers... and he heart beat is beating twice as fast as yours -150 beats a minute. The eyelids, nose, ears, and upper lip are forming." Mulder wiped away Scully's few tears that were falling from her eyes. "He or she appears to be developing perfectly."

---  
Mulder and Scully went to the airport with Doggett and Reyes, while Skinner road behind them. They drove into the extended stay parking lot, and parked in a spot not too far away. Scully was silent the whole ride, not saying a word to anyone –even Mulder. He knew she had to say something.

"I need a minute with Scully real quick. We'll be there in a minute," Mulder said calmly, his eyes on his wife.

"Alright. Take your time, we're a bit early." They got their bags from the trunk and made their way into the entrance of the airport.

"I know you have something to say Scully. Get it out now, because that's going to be a two hour and forty five minute plane ride." She took a deep breath, and looked up into his eyes slowly.

"When we get William back, Mulder –what are we going to tell him?" Mulder remained silent, stumped by her question. "I mean, it's not as if we can tell him the truth so easily. He is a six year old boy. He is a six year old boy who has been through a lot more than he should have at his age. You know what's going to happen..."

"He's going to follow in my footsteps." She bit her lip and nodded at his words. "And you don't want that."

"Do you want that?"

"Dana," He said her name in the softest voice –her first name, exaggerating how tender the moment was. "I want our son to be happy. I want him to know passion –to feel passionate. I don't care how he finds it. I want the world for him. I want him to know trust; love... and I want so many other things for him." Scully shook her head and fell into Mulder's arms, weeping.

"You know, you're probably –no, you are the greatest father out there. Mulder, there is nothing wrong with our son. There is nothing otherworldly about him. He's the perfect child, a miracle."

"Scully, you need to calm down. Think about the little one you're carrying. Breathe." She did as she told, inhaling and exhaling slowly. "Are you okay to talk about this later?" She nodded slowly.

"I just don't want him to fear or lose anything."

"I know you don't. Neither do I." Mulder pressed his lips to her forehead for a moment before whispering against her skin. "I love you."

----

"Alright, I'm here in Arizona." The man in the leather coat said into a non-traceable cell phone inside the Aston Martin Vanquish. Marita Covarrubias was on the other end.

"Change of plans. Instead of waiting where you are now at Luke's Diner. I'm giving you instructions and you are going to them to a T, got that." He didn't answer. "I want you to find Brookberry road. It's a back road, and you're to travel to mile marker twenty-two. That's where you'll wait. Get out of the car right now."

"Why?"

"Do what I say." And he did so. "Open the back door, and –"

"Are you going to tell me which side you controlling bitch?"

"Driver's side." He could see the smug smile forming on her lips even though they were in completely different areas of the country. "Take the knife found in the back of the driver's chair. Got it?"

"Yeah."

"Stab the middle cushion of the backseat and cut a slit." He did so, and hit a metal object with the silver knife.

"What's in here?" He asked, reaching his hand into the slit he created and pulling out what appeared to be a gun.

"Seeing as you already pulled –"

"Where's the damn camera?"

"It's a gun, but not a regular gun. These guns that I have put into the car are special for killing what I am going to order you to."

"How are they special?"

"Each gun holds a bullet made out of a special form of magnetite. When the bullet penetrates your victim –if he's one of them, then he should blow up, producing tiny silver spikes. You need to be at least ten feet away to not get hit with the spikes."

"When will they be here with the boy?"

"Some are already there."

"I'm not following."

"Get back into the car." He did, not feeling like arguing with someone so far away from him, not then.

"When you get to mile marker twenty-two, you'll see a field next to you, a large field. In there, there's going to be an invisible shield, which surrounds a ship, causing it to be invisible to the naked eye. There are already other's on that ship. You need only to kill the two which I've told you and take the boy. Then, you need to away. William and his two abductors should be there by tomorrow evening, Christmas Eve.

"When you get him back, you are to take him straight to Mulder and Scully. I'll later give you the address. We've just received note that Scully is yet again pregnant. You need to pass on a message to the two of them, but I'll give you that later."

---  
_-Raleigh Airport-_

Skinner, Doggett, Reyes, Mulder, and Scully all walked through the busy Raleigh Airport in North Carolina, making their way to the rent a car. Doggett had Reyes' hand, and Mulder kept his one hand firmly on the small of Scully's back, while his other hand rolled along their shared carryon. Everyone turned to Skinner as he answered his phone.

"Walter Skinner." Pause. "Are you sure?" Pause. "Yes, we're still going to question –" Pause. "Yeah, hold the car too. We're going to have to do another search." Pause. "His parents are he with me too." Scully tightened her grip on Mulder's hand as Skinner hung up. He turned to the other four as they walked. "It's not... who we thought it would be."

"What do you mean?" Scully was quick to ask.

"Their story is that they saw Anna and Tom with William." Skinner stopped, causing everyone else to stop. He turned to Mulder and Scully both. Mulder's arm wound around Scully's waist, and Doggett and Reyes were so obviously watching their faces. "The two people that are being held right now are claiming to be hitch hikers, trying to hitch a ride south to the nearest towing station. However, they got into Anna and Tom's car, and Anna and Tom left with a sleeping William, going into their truck –their apparently battery dead truck. They claim that Anna and Tom started the truck up again, got it running, and took off."

"So they don't know where William is? They don't know where Anna and Tom were headed?"

"No. But we're holding them for questioning, and we're searching the car."

"That's not gonna do any good –searching the car."

**Did you like it? I know there wasn't much in this one -_- Sorry. But please review.... consider it my birthday present, because my birthday is on Monday! YAY! 16!! (:  
-AK**


	16. Chapter 16

**DISCLAIMER: All rights to the X-files are owned by 20th Century Fox. Yeah, FML.... I know.**

**This is a short chapter. Please review (:  
**

The five of them, Mulder, Scully, Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes walked into the small cold room that overlooked the interrogation room through a long two way mirror. Two young adults were sitting at the dark metal table, a boy and a girl. They sure fit their description of hitch hikers. He had to be in his early twenties, same with her –maybe they were even nineteen. He had shaggy hair and a light brown beard. She had messy wavy long blonde hair.

"Their names are Lyle and Connie." Skinner said. "Mulder, do you want to ask the –"

"No. I'm asking them," Scully said in a hurry, starting for the door. Everyone watch her go, wanting to stop her, but they all relied on Mulder to do so.

"Scully," He said firmly stopping her, putting both hands on her shoulders.

"Let me go, Mulder. I'm –"

"Let me do this." Then his voice dropped into a whisper. "Scully, I don't want you to get overworked or anything. You need to try and stay –"

"Stay calm, Mulder? My son is out there missing!" She nearly shouted. Her eyes were once again on the verge of tears. "With someone, something," Her voice began to break and Mulder encircled her with his arms. Her sobs were soon muffled by his chest. "Our son..." She corrected herself, upon realizing that she had referred to him as 'hers' and not 'his' as well.

"Scully..." Mulder was burying his face into her hair as she shook in his arms. When he looked up, he noticed that they were the only ones in the room. "We'll go together, but take it easy." She pulled away and looked up at him. Mulder placed random kisses anywhere and everywhere on her face, kissing away all of her tears. Her hand grazed her hard stomach, which was at this point wasn't noticeable, just a small bump. Skinner opened the door.

"You two better come see this." Together, they left the room and Skinner handed Scully and Mulder a hot piece of paper from the fax machine.

_Fox Mulder,  
Arizona.  
-Tamira C._

"Do we know who sent it?" Scully asked urgently.

"Marita Covarrubias," Mulder answered for her.

"Aside from that –was there a number?" Skinner shook his head. "Damnit." Scully grabbed Mulder's hand and pulled him into the interrogation room. "Did they say anything to you?" Scully demanded, tears stinging her eyes.

"Who are you?" Lyle asked, confused at Scully's barging in.

"Answer the question."

"We're the child's parents." Mulder said from behind Scully.

"They got on a ramp heading west." The girl, Connie, interjected. "But... they didn't say anything. Do you know how they started up my car?"

"Is that all you know?" Scully said, her hands on the table, leaning over.

"Yes..."

"How's my son?" Scully asked with a broken voice.

"He was sleeping... bundled in a blanket when they took him out of the car. I didn't see much." Lyle answered. Scully spun quickly on her heel and left the room.

"Thank you." Mulder no longer saw the point of questioning Lyle or Connie. It wasn't going to help. He didn't want to waste anymore time. He needed to get on a plane to Arizona. They wasted enough time. It was time to save his son. "We need to get to Arizona." Mulder said as he came out into the hallway where the other four were standing.

"Mulder, are you sure you can trust this informant –you know it's Marita Covarrubias for sure?" Doggett asked. Scully took a few steps towards Mulder and looked up at him.

"Mulder, I –tell me that if we go to Arizona we won't be wasting time. Are you sure?" Scully whispered. He framed her face with his hands. His eyes smoldered into hers as he spoke.

"I'm positive that we need to be in Arizona. Trust me, Scully." She took his right hand from the side of her face and held it against her heart and nodded. She turned to Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes. He was the only one she trusted.

"We need the next flight to Arizona."

Skinner got on his cell phone and called the airlines, finding out that the next plane would be eight that night. The ride was going to be four and a half hours, meaning they would arrive at roughly 12:30.

"Mulder," Scully whispered as they lay alone in the rented car. Skinner, Doggett, and Reyes were in the restaurant getting dinner. Mulder and Scully had opted to just eat at the airport, but Scully did have a sandwich, chips, and water with her to satiate her mild hunger and need to eat. Really, what she needed was to just be held. "Do you think that I made the wrong choice giving Will up in the first place –that... essentially, we're the only ones who can protect him?"

"I think," He began, kissing her head. "That we are the only ones that could protect him, but... you weren't at fault when you gave him up. We can't dwell on what already happened. Let's just be focused on the future –finding William... having our baby."

**The next chapter will probably be better... that's when the whole thing with Krycek and his sick guns is gonna happen... and whether or not Will is going to be saved or taken away... it can go either way. Please review (: **

**-AK  
**


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